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TARRY  THOU 
TILL  I  COME 


.SALATHIEL.THE  WANDERING 


Introducto/y Letter  by 
Gen, LEWI5  WALLACE 


1  Tarry  thou  till  1  come  ! ' 


THULSTRUP   ILLUSTRATED    EDITION 


TARRY  THOU 
TILL  I  COME 


-SALATH1EL.THE  WANDERING  JEW 


By 
//GEORGE  CROLY 


Introductory  Letter  by 
Gen.LEVm  WALLACE 


NEW  YORK  &•  LONDON 


COPYRIGHT,  1901 
By  FUNK  &  WAGNALLS  COMPANY 


Published  May,  1901 

[Registered  at  Stationers'  Hall,  London] 
Printed  in  the  United  State*  of  America 


PUBLISHERS'   NOTE 


THIS  remarkable  historical  romance  is  closely  associated  by  the 
author  in  his  brief  Preface  with  the  early  Second  Coming  of 
Christ,  a  belief  that  is  held  to-day  by  a  rapidly  increasing  number 
of  people  in  all  parts  of  Christendom. 

The  story  was  first  published  in  1827,  and  was  issued  at  differ- 
ent times  under  different  titles,  as  "  Salathiel,  a  Story  of  the  Past, 
the  Present,  and  the  Future";  and  "Salathiel,  the  Immortal, 
or  the  Wandering  Jew."  It  had  wide  popularity  for  a  genera- 
tion or  more,  the  leading  critical  journals  in  England  and 
America  giving  it  great  praise. 

In  the  present  revival  of  the  story,  many  typographical,  and 
some  other  errors,  that  crept  into  the  various  editions,  have  been 
carefully  corrected,  chapter  and  marginal  headings  have  been 
added,  and  the  dialogs  have  been  generally  broken  up  into  para- 
graphs in  harmony  with  the  fashion  of  to-day,  and  the  whole 
book  has  been  carefully  annotated. 

We  are  glad  in  the  belief  that  we  have  carried  out  successfully 
General  Lewis  Wallace's  wish,  that  the  story  be  worthily  illus- 
trated. We  were  fortunate  in  securing  a  masterful  artist  who 
shared  the  great  enthusiasm  of  the  author  of  "Ben  Hur  "  for  this 
story  of  Croly's,  and  in  his  drawings  Mr.  de  Thulstrup  has  spared 
neither  time  nor  labor,  spending  many  months,  both  here  and  in 
Europe,  in  the  study  of  the  details  necessary  to  perfect  the  pic- 
tures. We  feel  assured  that  General  Wallace  will  now  wish  to 
recast  the  closing  sentence  of  his  Introductory  Letter. 

The  words  that  doomed  Salathiel  to  immortality  on  earth, 
"Tarry  Thou  Till  I  Come,"  so  fit  the  story  that  we  have  ven- 
tured to  make  them  the  chief  title,  and  have  so  combined  the 
new  with  the  old  that  no  one  will  be  misled.  The  colored 
frontispiece  by  Mr.  de  Thulstrup  happily  illustrates  the  new  title. 

In  the  Appendix  will  be  found  a  series  of  letters  written  for 
this  publication  by  thirty  or  more  representative  Jewish  scholars, 

iii 


2126250 


ffmbltsbers'   Uotc 


on  "Jesus  of  Nazareth  from  the  Present  Jewish  Point  of  View." 
The  Appendix  contains  other  matter  suggested  by  the  legend  of 
"The  Wandering  Jew,"  prepared  by  D.  S.  Gregory,  LL.D.,  and 
by  Arthur  T.  Pierson,  D.D.  The  general  INTRODUCTION  is  self- 
explanatory. 

It  is  believed  that  no  book  now  before  the  public  can  be  made 
nearly  so  helpful  as  this  one  in  interesting  the  minds  of  readers, 
young  and  old,  in  the  events  that  closely  followed  in  Palestine 
the  Crucifixion,  and  marked  the  conflict  between  early  Judaism 
and  Christianity,  and  ended  in  the  final  destruction  of  Jerusalem. 

The  reader  will  now  and  then  be  reminded  of  some  of  the 
more  striking  passages  in  two  or  three  of  the  popular  religious 
novels  published  in  the  past  decade.  But,  as  it  is  not  given 
even  to  great  geniuses  to  remember  forward,  our  author  will 
scarcely  be  exposed  to  the  accusation  of  having  borrowed  from 
these  later  writers. 

All  existing  rights  in  this  book,  held  in  this  country  or  Eng 
land,  have  been  purchased  by  us. 

FUNK  AND  WAGNALLS  COMPANY. 

NEW  YORK  and  LONDON. 


iv 


INTRODUCTORY  LETTER 

From  General  Lewis  Wallace 

(Author  of  "  Ben  Hur  ") 

CRAWFOBDSVILLE,  IND.,  September  1,  1900. 

GENTLEMEN  :  I  have  learned  that  you  have  in  mind  the  is- 
suance of  a  new  edition  of  Croly's  story  of  "The  Wandering 
Jew. "  Perhaps  you  will  lend  a  willing  ear  to  a  suggestion  or 
two,  so  much  is  the  book  in  1113^  love. 

In  my  judgment,  the  six  greatest  English  novels  are  "  Ivan- 
hoe,"  "The  Last  of  the  Barons,"  "The  Tale  of  Two  Cities," 
"Jane  Eyre,"  "  Hypatia, "  and  this  romance  of  Croly's.  If 
Shakespeare  had  never  been  born;  if  Milton,  Byron,  and 
Tennyson  Avere  singers  to  be,  and  Bacon,  Darwin,  and  Kuskin 
unknown ;  if  there  had  been  no  British  dramatists,  no  British 
historians,  no  works  in  British  libraries  significant  of  British 
science  and  philosophy,  no  alcoves  glutted  with  bookish  re- 
mains of  British  moralists  and  preachers,  still  the  six  works 
named  would  of  themselves  suffice  to  constitute  a  British 
literature. 

This  is  bold,  I  know :  bold  in  assertion,  and  even  bolder  in 
the  lift  of  Croly's  story  from  the  ground  to  a  place  in  the 
upper  sky.  Can  I  justify  the  classification?  Certainly,  if 
only  your  patience  and  my  time  permitted. 

Here,  to  begin,  is  a  broad  adverse  generality, — the  very 
worst  of  possible  arguments  against  the  book  is,  that  of  the 
five  great  classics  with  which  I  have  thrust  it  into  associ- 
ation, it  is  the  least  known  to-day  by  the  general  public. 
Yet  the  admission  is  not  in  the  least  decisive  of  merits ;  in  in- 
quisitorial phrase  it  serves  merely  to  put  objections  to  question. 

It  is  a  religious  novel,  says  one,  sneering.  That  used  to 
be  urged  against  the  "Pilgrim's  Progress";  yet  the  Pilgrim 


flntroOuctorg  Xetter 


goes  inarching  on,  and  I  fancy  his  progress  will  stop  only 
when  the  world  stops.  And  how  is  it  that  of  late  years, 
at  least,  several  novels  religious  in  tone  and  spirit  have  been 
more  than  well  received?  Indeed,  is  it  not  a  fact  that  some 
of  them  have  attained  extraordinary  popularity,  thus  gain- 
saying the  narrow  Puritanism  which  less  than  a  century  ago 
put  the  novel  under  ban,  regardless  of  kind  and  excellence? 

Another  objection.  The  style  is  somewhat  too  exalted; 
and  then  the  critic  makes  haste  to  stretch  the  alleged  defect 
to  the  author's  want  of  art.  Now,  I  would  not  like  to  be 
dogmatic  or  unkind,  but  such  points  certainly  disclose  a  la- 
mentable comprehension.  Why,  coiled  up  in  that  objection 
lie  the  very  excellencies  of  the  book.  How,  pray,  could  exal- 
tation be  avoided?  Who  does  not  know  that  in  description 
the  sublime  always  imposes  its  own  laws?  Imagine,  if  you 
can,  the  commonplace  used  by  a  narrator  struggling  to  convey 
an  idea  of  the  tremendous  in  a  hurricane  at  sea. 

And  as  to  a  want  of  art,  I  would  like  to  say  mildly  that 
the  absence  of  art  in  the  book  is  its  main  charm.  Any,  the 
slightest  show  of  premeditation  or  design  would  have  been 
gross  treason  to  nature.  Does  a  woman,  struck  to  the  heart, 
utter  her  grief  by  measure  as  a  singer  sings  or  a  poet  writes? 
And  how  is  it  with  a  man  in  rage  or  pain?  Yet,  verily,  there 
was  never  a  woman  or  a  man  in  speech  so  impelled  by  a  sting 
of  soul  as  Salathiel. 

Passing,  now,  the  matter  of  criticism  and  mere  negative 
dealing,  I  choose  to  be  affirmative.  Salathiel,  the  subject  of 
the  book,  was  a  Jew,  and  in  rank  a  Prince  of  the  Tribe  of 
Naphtali.  In  the  persecution  of  Christ,  his  arrest,  his  trial, 
his  scourging,  Salathiel  was  the  leading  insatiate;  and  such, 
doubtless,  he  would  have  continued  down  to  the  last  minute 
of  the  third  hour  of  the  Crucifixion  but  that  the  victim 
stopped  him.  At  what  stage  of  the  awful  crime  the  stoppage 
took  place,  the  author  leaves  to  inference ;  but  how  the  inci- 
dent befell  and  its  almost  inconceivable  effect  upon  Salathiel, 
no  man  should  again  try  to  describe.  This  is  from  Croly,  his 
words : 

"But  in  the  moment  of  exultation  I  was  stricken.     He 

vi 


f  ntrofcuctorB  icttct 


who  had  refused  an  hour  of  life  to  the  victim  was,  in  terrible 
retribution,  condemned  to  know  the  misery  of  life  intermi- 
nable. I  heard  through  all  the  voices  of  Jerusalem — I  should 
have  heard  through  all  the  thunders  of  heaven — the  calm, 
low  voice,  '  Tarry  thou  till  I  come ! '  : 

Such  the  retribution ;  now  the  effect. 

"  [  felt  my  fate  at  once !  I  sprang  away  through  the  shout- 
ing hosts  as  if  the  avenging  angel  waved  his  sword  above  my 
head.  Wild  songs,  furious  execrations,  the  uproar  of  myriads 
stirred  to  the  heights  of  passion,  filled  the  air ;  still,  through 
all,  I  heard  the  pursuing  sentence,  k  Tarry  thou  till  I  come,' 
and  felt  it  to  be  the  sentence  of  incurable  agony!  I  was 
never  to  know  the  shelter  of  the  grave!  " 

And  then  follow  five  paragraphs,  each  beginning  with  the 
same  words  uttered,  as  I  imagine,  in  the  tone  of  a  shriek  of 
anguish,  "Immortality  on  earth!  "  And  of  those  paragraphs, 
regarded  as  a  dissection  of  the  moral  part  of  a  man  by  virtue 
of  which  he  is  susceptible  of  infinite  happiness  or  infinite 
misery,  I  say  that  for  completeness  and  eloquence  they  are 
without  parallel  in  the  language.  Nor  is  that  all.  In  those 
paragraphs,  one  reading  will  find  the  definition  of  a  punish- 
ment which  in  subtlety,  in  torture,  and  in  duration  is  as  far 
out  of  range  of  human  origin  as  in  execution  it  is  out  of  range 
of  human  power.  Yet  more.  Instantly  with  the  comprehen- 
sion of  the  punishment  defined,  the  immeasurable  difference 
between  the  agonies  of  death  on  a  cross,  though  of  days  in 
duration,  and  the  agonies  of  immortal  life  under  curse  on  earth, 
becomes  discernible.  In  that  difference  there  is  a  divine 
thought  in  anger,  an  avenging  impulse.  The  superiority  in 
misery  of  the  punishment  of  Salathiel,  its  term  of  sentence, 
its  depth  of  suffering,  its  superhuman  passion  of  vengeance, 
seem  impossible  to  the  all-patient  Christ ;  and  while  we  are 
considering  its  possibility,  the  book  carries  us  to  the  question, 
Is  there  a  wandering  Jew? 

I  think  so.  Let  smile  now  who  will ;  yet,  as  I  see,  a  whole 
race  is  the  multiple  of  the  man,  just  as  the  man  is  the  incar- 
nation of  the  race.  Israel,  the  plural,  merges  in  Salathiel, 


Xettcr 


the  singular,  insomuch  that  to  think  of  the  one  is  to  think  of 
the  other.  In  this  instance,  also,  the  similitudes  become  cre- 
ative, and  life,  nature,  history,  and  doom,  sinking  the  race, 
make  room  for  the  wandering  Jew. 

Not  only  do  I  think  there  is  a  wandering  Jew,  but  I  know 
him  intimately.  To  Croly  he  was  a  young  man,  a  warrior; 
to  me,  he  came  an  old  man,  a  philosopher.  Croly  beheld  him 
irate,  passionate,  vengeful.  I  saw  him  wiser  by  many  hun- 
dreds of  years,  and  repentant,  and  trying  vainly  to  bring 
about  a  brotherhood  of  man.  by  preaching  the  unity  of  God. 
With  Croly,  he  was  the  Prince  of  Naphtali;  with  me,  he  was 
the  Prince  of  India. 

Returning  now  —  with  such  a  subject,  dealt  with  so  magnifi- 
cently, I  can  not  see  how  the  great  reading  public  in  America 
can  be  indifferent  to  a  new  edition  of  Croly's  romance.  Only 
take  us  into  your  faith,  gentlemen,  and  see  to  it  that  the  issue 
be  worthy  the  theme.  Be  even  luxurious  with  it;  give  it  Jim1 
paper,  wide  margins,  large  type,  and  choice  binding;  and,  if 
Gustave  Dore  were  living,  I  would  further  beg  you  to  have 
the  edition  illustrated  by  him. 

Very  respectfully, 


To  Funk  &  Wagnalls  Company. 


viii 


INTRODUCTION 


"TARRY  THOU  TILL  I  COME."  These  words  smote  Salathiel 
like  successive  thunder-claps,  tho  uttered  without  the  noise 
of  speech.  At  once  a  doom  and  a  prophecy — this  Jesus,  now 
climbing  Calvary  to  His  death,  would  come  again,  and  the 
Jew  could  not  perish  from  the  earth  until  His  coming ! 

Our  author,  Dr.  Croly,  has  based  his  story  on  this  old,  pa- 
thetic legend.  He  believed  that  "  The  Wandering  Jew  " — 
typical  of  the  Jewish  race — is  about  to  end  his  wearisome 
journeyings,  as  Christ  is  soon  to  come.* 

That  the  Christ  is  coming,  and  that  this  coming  is  near  at 
hand,  is  believed  to-day  by  millions. 

He  is  coming — but  how? 

Hear  Him : 

The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  unto  leaven  which  a  woman 
hid  in  three  measures  of  meal,  till  the  whole  was  leavened  — 
the  life  and  nature  of  the  leaven  reappearing  in  the  quickened 
mass. 

Again :  The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  a  grain  of  mustard- 
seed,  the  least  of  all  seeds,  so  little  that  it  is  likely  to  be  lost 
sight  of  in  the  count  of  forces ;  but  it  has  life  in  it,  and  the 
power  to  grow  and  multiply,  and  it  spreads  its  branches  in 
every  direction,  each  laden  with  seeds— the  life  and  nature  of 

*  It  has  been  believed  by  mcny  from  the  early  ages  of  the  Christian  era  that  among 
the  signs  of  Christ's  coining  would  be  the  recognition  of  Him  by  the  Jews,  as  "one  sent 
of  the  Father,"  and  that  they  would  then  be  restored  to  the  Father's  favor ;  that  this 
recognition  would  be  accompanied  by  a  recolonization  of  the  Jews  in  Palestine ;  that 
from  this  vantage-ground,  tney,  as  a  nation  among  nations— the  "  inherent  genius  of 
the  Jews  for  things  religious  "  again  reasserting  itself—would  lead  the  nations  of  earth 
in  final  triumph  into  the  kingdom  of  the  spiritual  man. 

Prof.  R.  Gottheil,  of  Columbia  University,  and  president  of  the  Federation  of  Amer- 
ican Zionists,  said,  before  the  Zionist  Congress,  in  the  summer  of  1900,  in  London  :  "  It 
is  time  the  nations  understood  our  motives.  Our  purpose  is  gradually  to  colonize  Pal- 
estine. We  political  Zionists  desire  a  charter  from  the  Sultan  authorizing  us  to  settle 
In  our  Holy  Land,  and  we  ask  the  powers  to  approve  and  protect  this  charter." 

ix 


introouctton 


the  first  grain  reappearing  in  every  one  of  the  myriads  of 
grains. 

And  again:  The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  as  if  a  man  should 
cast  seed  into  the  ground;  and  it  should  spring  and  grow  up, 
he  knoweth  not  how ;  first  the  blade,  then  the  ear,  after  that 
the  full  corn  in  the  ear.  It  is  all  natural :  the  earth  does  its 
work;  the  sun,  the  air,  the  water  do  their  work,  and  the  life 
and  nature  of  the  seed  grow  and  multiply,  reappearing  in  each 
grain  in  exact  accordance  with  the  nature  of  the  seed.-  It  is 
natural,  but  marvelous:  the  man  "knoweth  not  how"  it  is 
done ;  but  no  one  says,  therefore,  that  that  growth  is  super- 
natural, miraculous. 

Whence  the  germ  of  life  in  the  seed?  Whence  the  germ  of 
life  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven?  Who  can  tell?  The  wind 
bloweth  where  it  listeth.  Thou  seest  the  effect  of  it,  but 
canst  not  tell  whence  it  cometh,  nor  whither  it  goetli.  So  is 
life  wherever  you  find  it,  whether  at  the  birth  of  a  yeast- 
plant,  of  grains  of  mustard-seed  and  of  corn,  or  of  the  natural 
and  spiritual  man.  But  the  leaven,  and  the  grains  of  mustard- 
seed  and  of  corn,  and  the  kingdoms  of  the  natural  and  the 
spiritual  man  grow  and  reach  perfection  by  natural  processes 
— that  is,  in  harmony  with  cause  and  effect— each  process 
subject  to  critical  and  scientific  analysis,  if  that  analysis  goes 
deep  enough,  and  wide  enough,  and  far  enough. 

Life  reappears  in  new  life.  The  leaven  and  the  seed  and 
the  Christ-life  all  reincarnate  themselves  in  more  leaven,  more 
seed,  more  of  the  Christ  life.  "In  that  day,"  said  Jesus,  "ye 
shall  know  that  I  am  in  you."  Those  who  study  the  New 
Testament  can  not  but  be  impressed  with  how  often,  and  under 
how  many  forms,  is  there  uttered  the  thought,  Christ  f»rnn'<I 
in  you. 

This  is  the  coming  of  Christ.  Not  that  it  is  the  onJ;/  com- 
ing ;  many  millions  of  earnest  men  and  women  believe  that  in 
the  near  future  He  will  come  in  a  way  palpable  to  our  physi- 
cal senses  as  He  came  nineteen  hundred  years  ago.  "  Ye  men 
of  Galilee,  why  stand  ye  gazing  up  into  heaven?  This  same 
Jesus,  which  is  taken  \\p  from  you  into  heaven,  shall  so  come  in 
like  manner  as  ye  have  seen  Him  go  into  heaven  "  (Acts  i.  11). 


introduction 


Yet  experiences  on  the  physical  plane  are  of  little  compara- 
tive value — comparative.  Jesus  bade  the  doubting  Thomas  to 
reach  forth  his  hand  and  touch  Him,  that  he  might  have  tan- 
gible evidence :  Now,  Thomas,  you  believe  because  you  have 
seen  and  felt;  but  blessed  is  he  who  believes  on  the  higher 
plane  of  spiritual  knowing.  It  is  "an  evil  and  adulterous 
generation  "  that  seeketh  after  proofs  of  spiritual  things  on 
the  sensuous  level.  Men  saw  and  touched  Jesus  in  Palestine 
who  were  millions  of  miles  from  Him.  Were  Christ  to  ap- 
pear in  visible  form,  it  might  easily  be  of  no  value  whatever 
to  come  into  physical  contact  with  Him,  to  meet  Him  on 
Broadway  or  on  the  Strand ;  but  who  can  measure  the  value 
of  having  Christ  recreated  in  himself,  as  the  leaven-  is  recreated 
in  the  meal,  and  as  a  seed  is  recreated  in  new  seed,  so  that 
men,  when  they  see  that  man,  and  talk  to  him,  and  deal  with 
him,  shall  feel  that  they  have  been  with  Christ? 

One  day  I  saw  in  a  neighbor's  flower-bed  a  little  plant,  that, 
as  it  pushed  its  way  above  the  ground,  had  brought  with  it 
the  mother  seed  from  which  it  grew.  That  was  a  literal 
reappearance  of  the  planted  seed;  but  it  was  not  the  reap- 
pearance, not  the  resurrection  of  the  seed,  for  which  a  seed 
grows. 

Christ  came  the  first  time  into  men's  vision  by  coming  on 
the  plane  of  their  senses ;  He  conies  the  second  time  into  men's 
vision  by  lifting  them  up  to  His  plane  of  spiritual  comprehen- 
sion. 

This  coming  of  Christ  involves  a  new  birth,  a  new  creation, 
a  new  kingdom.  It  means  a  new  step  in  the  evolution  of 
man.  As  man  has  stepped  from  the  mineral  kingdom  to  the 
vegetable  kingdom,  and  from,  the  vegetable  kingdom  to  the 
animal  kingdom,  and  from  the  animal  kingdom  to  the  king- 
dom of  the  natural  man,*  so  now  he  steps  from  the  kingdom 
of  the  natural  man  to  the  kingdom  of  the  spiritual  man,  every 
portion  of  this  step  a  natural  process  subject  to  critical  scien- 
tific analysis,  if  that  analysis  goes  deep  enough,  wide  enough, 
far  enough.  It  is  the  continuance  of  evolution  without  a 

*  This  is  simply  a  name ;  both  kingdoms,  that  of  the  natural  man  and  that  of  the 
spiritual  man,  are  in  harmony  with  the  laws  of  sequence. 

xi 


Introduction 


break,  without  a  leap  ("Nature  never  makes  leaps,"  says 
Leibnitz ;  the  leaps  are  only  seeming) ,  lifting  the  race  by  a 
new  birth  through  Christ  the  type -life  up  to  the  plane  of 
spiritual  being  and  knowing. 

Is  the  visible  second  coming  of  Jesus  fancy  or  truth?  Our 
author  believed  it  true,  and  increasing  multitudes  to-day  be- 
lieve it  true.  Among  these  are  many  of  the  foremost  Chris- 
tian teachers  of  this  generation,  as  that  trio  of  great  preachers 
recently  dead,  Charles  H.  Spurgeon,  A.  J.  Gordon,  and 
Dwight  L.  Moody;  Newman  Hall,  Theodore  Monod,  Arthur 
T.  Pierson,  F.  B.  Meyer,  J.  H.  Brookes,  C.  Cuthbert  Hall. 
There  is  evidently  near  at  hand  an  extraordinary  revival  of 
this  belief. 

In  the  republication  of  this  remarkable  story  about  the  Jew 
who  is  "to  wander  on  earth  until  Christ  comes  again,"  it  has 
seemed  to  me  that  it  would  not  be  inappropriate  to  give,  by 
way  of  Introduction,  and  in  the  Appendix,  several  lines  of 
thought  bearing  upon  the  coming  of  Christ. 


THE  ESSENTIAL  COMING  OF  CHBIST 


This  coming  is  in  harmony  with  the  laws  of  sequence  and 
continuity. 

In  each  preceding  step  in  the  evolution  of  man  the  unfold- 
ing of  the  physical  basis  of  life  was  from  below,  but  the  life 
itself  was  from  above,  never  from  below.  Scientists  are  now 
practically  unanimous  in  saying  that,  "There  is  not  a  scin- 
tilla of  evidence  that  the  inorganic  or  mineral  world  has  ever 
evolved  a  plant  life."  "To  the  scientist,"  says  Darwin,  "it 
is  a  hopeless  inquiry  as  to  how  life  originated."  "Life  from 
an  egg,"  is  still  the  latest  dictum  of  science;  that  is,  life  only 
from  life.*  Each  of  the  successive  steps  or  kingdoms  has  had 

*  "  There  is  not  a  shadow  of  trustworthy  direct  evidence  that  abiogenesis  [spontaneous 
generation]  does  take  place  or  has  taken  place  within  the  period  during  which  the  ex- 
istence  of  life  on  the  globe  is  recorded." -Huxley,  under  "  Biology,"  Encyclopedia 

xii 


fntroOuction 


its  type-life.  The  plant— that  is,  the  physical  basis  of  the 
plant  life — came  from  the  inorganic  matter;  the  animal — that 
is,  the  physical  basis  of  the  animal  life — came  from  the  plant 
and  through  the  plant  from  the  mineral  kingdom ;  the  natural 
man — that  is,  the  physical  basis  of  the  life  of  the  natural 
man — came  from  the  animal  and  the  kingdoms  below  it;  the 
spiritual  man— that  is,  the  physical  basis  of  the  life  of  the 
spiritual  man — conies  from  the  natural  man  and  the  kingdoms 
below  him. 

The  development  from  kingdom  to  kingdom  was  a  natural 
unfolding ;  yet  the  new  creature  of  the  next  higher  order  al- 
ways came  through  a  new  birth — a  double  birth :  (1)  the 
birth  of  the  new  type-life  of  the  next  higher  kingdom  into  the 
evolutionary  order  of  nature,  through  the  hereditary  chain ; 
and  (2)  the  birth  of  each  individual  into  this  type-life. 

None  of  the  previous  transitions  from  a  lower  to  a  higher 
kingdom  has  taken  place  within  historic  times.  The  cradle  at 
Bethlehem  flashes  a  searchlight  down  the  spiral  stairway  up 
which  man  has  come  from  platform  to  platform,  kingdom  to 
kingdom.  Here  at  last  we  see  that  the  type-life  of  the  king- 
dom of  the  spiritual  man  is  born  from  above  into  the  heredi- 
tary chain  of  evolution.  Many  times,  and  in  many  ways, 
He  declares  I  am  "from  above."  He  is  born  a  natural  man, 
and  yet  possesses  the  life  of  the  kingdom  next  higher,  and 
proceeds  to  lift  the  natural  man  by  a  new  birth  into  the  king- 
dom of  the  spiritual  man.  He  is  born  the  son  of  man  and 
the  son  of  God,  bridging  the  chasm  with  His  own  being. 

Again  and  again  He  says,  "  I  am  the  life  "  ;  "  I  have  come 
that  ye  may  have  life  "  ;  except  ye  partake  of  Me  "  ye  have  no 
life  in  you. "  He  calls  Himself  the  "  bread  of  life, "  "  the  water 
of  life."  This  would  all  be  meaningless  were  Christ  talking 
about  the  life  of  the  kingdom  of  the  natural  man  which  all  now 
have  and  have  had. 

Britannica,  vol.  Hi.,  page  689.  "  These  are  the  generations  of  every  plant  of  the  field 
before  it  was  in  the  earth."— Gen.  il.  4,  5. 

"  That  It  [human  consciousness]  can  not  possibly  be  the  product  of  any  cunning  ar- 
rangement of  material  particles  is  demonstrated  beyond  perad venture  by  what  we  now 
know  of  the  correlation  of  physical  forces."— Fiske,  "The  Destiny  of  Man."  page 42. 
"  By  no  possibility  can  thought  and  feeling  be  in  any  sense  the  products  of  matter." 
—Idem.,  page  109. 

xiii 


Introduction 


As  the  spiritual  type-life  lifts  the  natural  man  into  the  spiri- 
tual kingdom,  so  the  type-life  of  the  natural  man  lifted  the 
animal  into  the  kingdom  of  the  natural  man,  and  the  animal 
type-life  lifted  the  vegetable,  and  the  vegetable  type-life  lifted 
the  mineral. 

There  is  no  break  in  the  golden  thread  that  runs  through 
all  this  series  of  development  from  the  mineral  world  up  to 
the  new  creature  in  Christ  Jesus.  There  is  nothing  in  this 
last  development  contrary  to  nature ;  it  follows  along  ex- 
actly the  same  laws  of  natural  unfoldment  as  did  the  other 
kingdoms.  The  law  of  continuity  holds.*  Christ  is  born 
really  into  the  kingdom  of  the  natural  man,  and  the  natural 
man  is  born  into  the  spiritual  kingdom,  through  Christ,  the 
type-life.  In  this  last  stage  of  man's  ascent,  as  in  the 
previous  ones,  nature  makes  "no  leap."  Think  not,  suys 
( 'hrist,  "  that  I  have  come  to  destroy  the  law ;  I  have  not 
come  to  destroy,  but  to  fulfil";  I  have  come  to  carry  on  My 
work  in  harmony  with  the  processes  of  the  universe.  What 
is  law  but  the  method  that  the  immanent  God,  everywhere 
and  forever,  pursues  in  His  work?  True,  segments  of  the 
circle  He  follows  are  easily  out  of  the  reach  of  our  vision. 
Huxley  tells  us  that  he  has  no  doubt  that  even  on  the  physi- 
cal plane,  most  important  work  is  being  done  far  beyond  the 
reach  of  the  most  powerful  microscope.  He  might  have  said, 
and  kept  easily  within  bounds,  the  most  important  work. 

The  crystal  is  matter  plus  the  principle  of  crystallization; 
so  the  plant,  the  animal,  the  natural  man— always  the  creature 
of  the  kingdom  below  with  the  plus  sign,  for  a  birth  is  an 
unfoldment  and  something  more.  And  so,  the  Christ  life  takes 
the  character,  the  soul,  the  spirit  of  the  natural  man,  which 
have  developed  through  the  ages — takes  them  through  a  new 
birth,  this  time  with  man's  consent.  "Marvel  not  that  1  say 

*  Alfred  Russel  Wallace,  who  was  joint  discoverer  with  Darwin  of  evolution,  and  is 
its  greatest  living  exponent.  In  his  book  "  Darwinism,"  page  474,  shows  the  fallacy  as 
to  new  causes  involving  any  breach  of  continuity— these  new  causes  embracing  vege- 
table life,  animal  life,  and  the  higher  powers  of  man.  He  says,  page  476 :  "  Still  more 
surely  can  we  refer  to  it  [the  spiritual  world]  those  progressive  manifestations  of  life 
i  u  the  vegetable,  the  animal,  and  man."  Also,  in  "  Natural  Selection,"  page  185  :  "  The 
higher  powers  in  man  are  surest  proof  that  there  are  other  and  higher  existences  thau 
ourselves,  from  whom  these  qualities  may  have  been  derived,  and  toward  whom  we  may 
be  ever  tending." 

xiv 


Introduction 


unto  you,  ye  must  be  born  again."  "Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto 
thee,  except  a  man  be  born  from  above  he  can  not  see  the 
kingdom  of  God"  (John  iii.  3).  Ye  are  "babes  in  Christ," 
"Ye  are  new  creatures."  We  become  heirs  "of  God  through 
Christ,"  crying  "  Abba,  Father. "  "  In  love's  hour  Eternal  Love 
conceives  in  us  the  child  of  God  "  through  the  spiritual  type- 
life  Christ  Jesus. 

Christ  could  not  have  been  more  explicit  or  more  scientif- 
ically exact  in  declaring  Himself  the  type-life  of  the  spiritual 
man.  "I  am  the  door,"  "the  way,"  "the  life";  "no  man 
can  come  to  the  Father  but  by  Me."  "He  that  hath  the  Son 
hath  life ;  and  he  that  hath  not  the  Son  of  God  hath  not  life  " ; 
he  may  be  a  Caesar  leading  armies  against  Pompey,  or  a 
Cicero  declaiming  his  matchless  orations  against  Cataline,  and 
yet  be  dead. 

In  the  inspired  picture-history  of  creation,  an  Adam  is  the 
type -life  of  the  kingdom  of  the  natural  man ;  in  the  New  Tes- 
tament, Christ  is  presented  in  every  way  as  the  type-life  of 
the  kingdom  of  the  spiritual  man.  "  The  first  man  Adam  was 
made  a  living  soul ;  the  last  Adam  was  made  a  quickening 
spirit.  Howbeit  that  was  not  first  which  is  spiritual,  but  that 
which  is  natural;  and  afterward  that  which  is  spiritual"  (1 
Cor.  xv.  45,  46). 

Here,  also,  the  law  of  conformity  to  type  is  manifest. 
Each  type-life  is  perfect,  but  those  who  are  born  through  the 
type-life  begin  at  the  bottom ;  the  "  fall "  is  great  from  the 
type-life  to  the  beginning  of  growth  in  the  next  higher  king- 
dom. But  from  that  onward  the  battle  of  evolution  is  to  se- 
cure likeness  to  the  type.  "  We  all,  with  open  face  beholding 
as  in  a  glass  the  glory  of  the  Lord,  are  changed  into  the  same 
Image  from  glory  to  glory"  (2  Cor.  iii.  18).  We  shall  be 
"conformed  to  the  image  of  His  Son"  (Rom.  viii.  29).  "As 
we  have  borne  the  image  of  the  earthy,  we  shall  also  bear  the 
unage  of  the  heavenly"  (1  Cor.  xv.  49).  After  the  night  is 
over  we  shall  awake  in  His  likeness. 

Newton  said  that  he  made  a  splendid  guess  at  the  universal 
law  of  gravitation  when  he  saw  the  apple  fall.  Why  may  it 


Introduction 


not  be  permissible  for  us  to  guess,  from  the  law  of  conformity 
to  type,  that  in  every  kingdom  the  new  creature  carries  with  it 
the  pattern  of  its  type-life,  and  that  after  this  pattern,  in  the 
lower  kingdoms,  the  accompanying  cells  strive  to  weave  a  na- 
ture corresponding  with  its  kingdom,  and  in  the  kingdom  of 
the  spiritual  man  the  Holy  Spirit  strives  to  weave  the  nature 
of  the  spiritual  man?  * 

In  the  lower  kingdoms  it  is  a  survival  of  the  fightest,  in  the 
highest  a  survival  of  the  fittest,  the  struggle  for  life  for  our- 
selves merging  into  a  struggle  for  life  for  others.  Even  among 
men  in  the  earlier  days,  to  discover  the  greatest  man,  the 
measuring-string  was  placed  around  the  muscle.  That  was 
the  age  of  Hercules.  Then  the  time  came  when  the  measur- 
ing-string was  placed  around  the  head.  That  was  the  age  of 
Bacon  and  Shakespeare.  But  the  time  comes  in  the  rapidly 
advancing  future  when  the  measuring-string  will  be  placed 
around  the  heart,  and  he  who  measures  most  there  will  be 
most  conformed  to  the  Master,  for  he  is  greatest  who  most 
fully  gives  himself  for  others. 

Evolution  goes  on,  hereafter,  in  the  inner  and  upper  world, 
outside  and  beyond  our  vision,  making  many  and  many  varia- 
tions doubtless,  as  in  the  lower  realms.  In  the  Father's  spiri- 
tual house  also  are  many  mansions.  We  are  stepping  from 
the  physiological  to  the  psychological,  from  body  and  mind 
to  spirit.  As  in  all  previous  growth,  the  latest  type-life  is 
reappearing  in  His  generation — in  the  "  new  creatures  "  of  His 
kingdom. 

II 

The  outward  evolution — that  of  the  physical— marvelous  be- 
yond thought,  is  comparatively  insignificant.  The  chief  evolu- 
tion has  been  and  is  within.  The  scientist  is  unscientific  who 
ignores  the  greater  evolution  and  builds  his  explanatory  system 

*  After  watching  the  process  hour  by  hour  (in  the  semi-fluid  plobule  of  protoplasm  of 
tbe  embryo),  one  Is  almost  involuntarily  possessed  by  the  notion  that  some  more  subtle 
uiU  to  vision  than  an  achromatic  would  show  the  hidden  artist,  with  his  plan  before  him. 
striving  with  skilful  manipulation  to  perfect  bis  work.— Huxley,  "  Lay  Sermons,"  page 
261. 

xvi 


11  ntr  eduction 


on  the  lesser— on  the  least.  Psychology  is  also  a  science. 
Has  nature  one  method  for  the  development  of  the  physical 
part  of  man's  being,  and  another  for  the  development  of  the 
non-material  and  spiritual?  Nature  is  not  divided.  What 
means  the  hereditary  likeness,  mental  and  spiritual — not  less 
marked  than  the  physical?  These  marks  often  skip  many 
generations  and  then  reappear  again  in  full.  They  can  not, 
therefore,  be  the  result  of  education  or  imitation.  Nor  is  it 
easy  to  believe  that  they  were  placed  within  us  by  a  direct  act 
of  creation,  as  the  old-fashioned  theological  professor  taught 
that  God  mixed  the  fossils  with  the  plastic  stones  at  creation, 
somewhat  as  a  cook  mixes  raisins  and  other  fruits  in  the  dough 
for  her  plum-pudding. 

What  means  the  gradual  development  in  the  brain  of  the 
cerebrum  and  cerebellum,  the  organs  of  the  soul  powers,  en- 
larging from  generation  to  generation?  These  are  scarcely 
visible  in  the  lowest  animals.  They  become  larger  as  we  ad- 
vance up  the  animal  scale  of  intelligence,  or  psychic  power; 
large  in  the  ape,  who  came  far  along  the  same  line  that  man 
came ;  four  times  as  large  in  the  lowest  Zulu  as  in  the  ape, 
but  far  larger  in  the  European  and  American  civilized  man — 
thus  slowly  made  perfect  through  awful  struggles  and  suffer- 
ings, painfully  growing  a  million  years  or  more.  Is  it  not 
then  reasonable  to  believe  that  there  is  a  corresponding  psychic 
or  soul  development  from  generation  to  generation  in  the 
unseen  individuality,  the  ego,  which  uses  the  cerebrum  and 
cerebellum  as  organs;  that  up  the  spiral  stairway  of  evolu- 
tion the  whole  man  has  come, — his  personality,  with  its  soul 
powers,  and  the  physical  organs  of  these  powers  in  the  brain, 
and  the  entire  physical  man? 

To-day,  in  the  unfolding  embryo  of  every  child,  nature  mar- 
velously  and  clearly  retells  the  history  of  the  evolution  of  the 
physical  nature  of  the  human  race  from  the  one-celled  mon- 
eron  to  the  billion-celled  man.  For  the  embryo  of  the  child 
is  a  historic  map,  done  in  flesh  and  blood,  of  the  evolution  of 
man,  of  the  forms  he  has  assumed,  broadly  speaking,  as  he 
climbed  nature's  stairway.* 

*  Romanes,  in  "  Darwin  and  After  Darwin,"  chapter  iv.,  says  that  the  embryo  is  a  r6- 
sume"  or  recapitulation  of  the  successive  phases  through  which  the  being  has  been  de- 

ivii 


UntroDuction 


Is  it  hard  to  believe  that  pur  individuality  has  been  bom 
and  reborn  through  the  line  of  ancestry  back  to  the  type-lives, 
and  through  them  back  to  the  "beginning,"  when  God  took 
of  His  own  life  to  develop,  through  ages  of  conflict,  personal- 
ities other  than  His  own  who  would,  of  their  own  free  will, 
choose  goodness?  Is  it  hard  to  believe  that  at  every  successive 
birth  each  parent  has  placed  his  stamp  upon  the  individuality, 
but  that  the  individuality  has  perdured  being  reborn  again  and 
again  into  successive  higher  kingdoms?  Does  it  seem  hard  to 
believe  that  we  should  be  born  many  times?  Is  it  then  harder 
to  believe  that  we  should  be  born  after  we  have  lived  than 
that  we  should  be  bom  when  we  have  not  lived?  The  pro- 
foundest  mystery  is  in  the  first  birth,  in  which  we  all  believe. 
And  why  should  it  be  thought  by  us  incredible  that,  with  the 
mingling  of  the  parental  cells,  the  individuality  exactly  fitted 
should  be  reborn  in  the  line  of  heredity,  receiving  the  parental 
stamp,  being  attracted  by  the  law  which  answers  to  that  law 
which  guides  the  atom  unerringly  to  its  place  in  the  crystal 
—that  same  law  wonderfully  exalted?  Whatever  and  wher- 
ever character  is,  it  must  be  obedient  to  the  law  that  draws  it, 
for  the  law  of  attraction  is  even  more  irresistible  in  the  inner 
world  than  is  the  law  of  gravitation  in  the  outer  world.  Every 
man  as  he  comes  to  his  birth  comes  to  his  own  place ;  in  a 
profound  sense  he  chooses  his  parents  and  his  surroundings. 
As  he  Avas,  he  is,  plus  his  birth-gain  and  his  growth  through 
consent  and  volition ;  his  past  leads  him. 

And  in  this  last  transition  each  man  is  conscious  that  his 
individuality  continues,  altho  he  passes  from  one  kingdom 
into  the  next.  The  dictum  of  science  is  "no  leap,  no  break  " 
— continuity.  Then  it  is  reasonable  to  believe  that  the  indi- 
viduality will  continue  through  succeeding  future  changes,  as 
it  has  continued  these  millions  of  years  through  the  successive 
past  changes.  It  would  require  much  credulity  to  believe  that 
nature  has  travailed  in  pain  these  untold  ages  to  develop  a 
personality  that  would  of  its  own  free  will  choose  goodness, 
only  to  destroy  that  personality  as  soon  as  made.  John  Fiske 

vploped,  with  explanable  omissions.  On  page  102  he  tells  of  the  young  salamander 
that  Is  so  complete  in  its  frills  shortly  before  birth  that  if  it  is  removed  from  the  womb 
and  placed  in  water  it  will  be  able  to  live,  breathing  like  a  Ush  through  its  gills. 

xviii 


UntroJwcticm 


has  well  said :  *  "  The  materialistic  assumption  that  the  life  of 
the  soul  ends  with  the  life  of  the  body,  is  perhaps  the  most 
colossal  instance  of  assumption  that  is  known  in  the  history 
of  philosophy." 

That  was  a  provincial  notion  about  the  universe  which  was 
held  before  Copernicus's  time — the  belief  that  the  sun,  planets, 
stars,  all  revolved  around  the  earth.  Copernicus  was  called 
the  destroyer  of  faith  and  bitterly  denounced.  His  idea 
made  the  earth  but  a  speck,  and  the  Milky  Way — billions  of 
miles  long — the  mere  yard-stick  of  the  universe.  All  this 
has  immensely  enlarged  faith — did  not  destroy  it.  Darwin, 
too,  was  called  the  destroyer  of  faith ;  but  now  we  begin  to 
see  that  evolution,  in  giving  man  countless  eons  of  growth,  in- 
stead of  keeping  him  a  creature  of  yesterday,  bounded  by  the 
cradle  and  grave,  has  immensely  enlarged  faith,  and  beyond 
thought  has  added  to  the  dignity  of  man. 


Ill 

At  each  succeeding  birth  the  individuality,  to  thrive,  must 
be  in  harmony  with  its  changed  surroundings,  and  the  cells 
that  swarm  in  every  organized  body  struggle  to  bring  this  to 
pass.  It  is  the  business  of  the  cell  to  obey  the  pushings  of 
the  governing  force  in  the  organization  to  which  it  belongs. 
The  plant  needs  water,  minerals,  air,  sunshine.  Its  attendant 
cells  hear  the  cry  of  their  master  and  build  roots  into  the 
ground  and  branches  into  the  air,  and  weave  leaves  into  lungs 
and  laboratories.  Note  a  vine  in  some  cave — how  it  works 
its  way  toward  the  hole  through  which  sunshine  is  streaming, 
and  how  it  causes  some  roots  to  build  out  toward  a  vein  of 
water ;  others  toward  a  skeleton  many  feet  away  and  along  the 
bones  of  that  skeleton — hungering  and  thirsting  for  minerals, 
water,  light,  heat.  Hungering  and  thirsting — asking,  knock- 
ing -the  plant  receives.  Seek  and  ye  shall  find;  strive  and 
it  shall  be  yours.  This  is  the  law  in  the  plant  life,  the  law 
in  the  animal  life,  in  the  life  of  the  natural  man,  in  the  life 
of  the  spiritual  man. 

*  "  The  Destiny  of  Man,"  page  110. 
xix 


Introduction 


In  a  deep  sense,  as  a  man  thinketh  so  he  is.  The  universe 
of  cells  within  each  man  calls  him  "master."  Ye  are  gods; 
kings  upon  thrones ;  your  slightest  wish  is  heard ;  your  earnest, 
persistent  desire  compels  obedience.  Answer  to  prayer  is  a 
growth,  a  building  up  or  down  to  what  you  wish.  Wishing 
is  asking.  Ask  what  you  will,  and  from  that  instant  receiv- 
ing, you  receive. 

Christ  can  never  fully  come  into  a  man  until  the  man  has 
grown  up  to  the  level  of  spiritual  things.  It  is  a  sensuous 
generation  that  seeks  to  be  satisfied  with  consolation  through 
the  physical  senses. 

All  of  our  faculties  carry  their  own  demonstrations  of  truth 
up  to  the  level  of  their  development.  To  the  pure  and  loving, 
purity  and  love  need  no  witnesses.  Every  man  has  had  placed 
in  his  hand  a  latch-key  to  the  beauty  and  wisdom — to  all  of  the 
excellences  of  the  universe ;  but  there  is  only  one  way  of  using 
that  latch-key  effectively.  We  must  grow  to  a  level  with  the 
latch.  I  must  have  an  eye  fitted  for  the  landscape,  and  must 
have  a  poetic  soul  before  the  landscape  can  read  its  poetry  to 
me.  I  may  believe  that  Beethoven's  Ninth  Symphony  is 
music  because  a  master  of  music  has  told  me  so ;  that  is  belief 
based  on  authority ;  or,  I  may  measure  the  waves  of  sound 
and  scientifically  demonstrate  that  it  is  music;  but  such 
evidences  are  beggarly,  and  praise  based  on  them  would  drive 
a  composer  mad.  But  let  me  hunger  and  thirst  after  music ; 
seek,  pray  for  musical  sight  and  soul  until  I  develop  up  to  the 
level  of  Beethoven's  Symphony;  then  as  quickly  as  I  hear  it 
I  exclaim  :  "  That  is  music !  "  Do  you  ask :  "  Who  told  you?  " 
I  answer:  ''No  one;  I  know  it!  "  My  latch-key  enters,  for  I 
am  on  a  level  with  the  latch.  I  asked,  I  sought,  I  knocked, 
until  I  grew  up  into  the  musical  world.  I  must  grow  up  to 
God  before  I  can  know  Him;  I  must  grow  up  to  Christ  before 
I  can  see  Him.  The  pure  in  heart  shall  see  and  hear  spiritual 
things.  I  must  be  on  God's  level  before  even  the  lowly  flower 
can  tell  me  the  thought  that  was  in  His  mind  when  He 
created  it. 

Seek  is  the  law  of  growth  in  all  kingdoms ;  and  it  is  the 
law  of  development  and  of  the  adjustment  of  the  feeders 


Introduction 


through  which  each  kingdom  asserts  itself  to  its  creatures  and 
gives  them  their  food  and  consolation.  "Who  has  not  smiled 
many  times  at  the  serio-humorous  reflection  of  Robert  Louis 
Stevenson  on  hearing  of  the  death  of  Matthew  Arnold:  "So, 
Arnold  is  dead!  I  am  sorry;  he  won't  like  God."  There  is 
a  profoundly  solemn  truth  under  this  witticism. 

There  is  health  for  the  plant  in  sun-rays ;  the  plant  had 
the  need  of  light,  and  its  cells  heard  the  cry  and  groped 
toward  the  light.  That  capacity  for  light  and  that  groping 
of  the  cells  proved  the  existence  of  the  sun.  The  conscious 
feeling  after  God  among  people  everywhere  proves  the  exist- 
ence of  God  and  of  the  spiritual  world. 

The  new-born  child  must  adjust  its  lungs  to  the  atmosphere 
into  which  it  comes  or  it  must  die.  It  hereafter  must  eat  and 
drink  with  its  mouth,  breathe  with  its  lungs ;  it  must  have  new 
feeders.  The  bird,  as  it  chips  its  way  out  of  the  egg,  adjusts 
itself  to  its  new  surroundings.  It  is  a  hard  trial  often  for  a 
child  to  be  weaned,  yet  it  is  love  that  does  it.  It  is  done  to 
give  it  more  abundant  life,  not  less. 

This  is  the  meaning  of  self-denial,  fasting,  repentance, 
suffering — the  weaning  of  the  feeders  from  the  old  to  the  new 
environment — the  feeders  that  give  food  and  consolation.  We 
enter  into  the  kingdom  of  the  spiritual  man  as  the  babe  enters 
into  the  kingdom  of  the  natural  man.  Every  new  creature 
grows  up  from  the  grave  of  the  old.  Clip  the  stairs  of  holy 
patience  we  climb  the  heights  of  the  inner  kingdom,  j  Our 
will  henceforth  is  to  yield  our  will,  but  the  sensuous  man  con- 
tests every  inch  with  the  spiritual.  The  perishing  of  the  old 
man  day  by  day  is  painful,  and  so  is  the  renewal  of  the  inner, 
for  birth  also  is  painful.  We  learn  to  love  love,  hate  hate, 
and  fear  only  fear ;  but  every  move  upward  has  in  it  birth- 
pangs.  We  are  in  the  soul's  gymnasium — on  its  battle-field. 
The  creature  was  made  subject  to  vanity  for  a  cause.*  Says 
Ruskin :  "I  do  not  wonder  often  at  what  men  suffer,  but  I 
wonder  at  what  they  lose." 

*  "  It  is  an  inevitable  deduction  from  the  hypothesis  of  evolution  that  races  of  sentient 
creatures  could  have  come  into  existence  under  no  other  conditions  [than  those  of 
pains  and  pleasures]." — "  Data  of  Ethics,"  Herbert  Spencer,  section  33. 

xxi 


Introduction 


How  strange  it  is  to  look  into  a  human  face,  and  to  look 
into  human  eyes,  and  to  think  that  a  son  of  the  living  God  is 
veiled  there — to  think  of  the  greatness  of  that  creature,  for 
the  accomplishment  of  which  all  creation  on  earth  has  been 
in  travail  for  these  untold  ages ! 

Often  not  anything  extraordinary  impresses  us  as  we  see 
the  Christ-nature  in  a  comrade ;  but  wait ;  we  see  this  kingdom 
of  the  soul  only  in  its  germ.  The  bulb  of  the  tiger-lily  is  not 
over-pretty,  but  to  the  eyes  that  see  the  possibilities  of  the 
tiger-lily  that  bulb  is  a  poem.  The  step  from  the  highest 
morality  of  the  natural  man  to  the  lowest  round  in  the  king- 
dom of  the  spiritual  man  is  a  stupendous  one.  John  the 
Baptist  was  the  greatest  of  those  born  of  women;  but  the 
least  in  the  new  kingdom  of  the  spiritual  man  is  greater 
than  he. 

Do  not  say  that  you  can  not  be  born  again.  You  can  and 
must.  It  is  natural  to  step  into  this  kingdom,  as  natural  as 
growth  is.  The  natural  response  of  the  heart  is  Christian, 
says  Tertullian.  Our  experience  supports  and  justifies  this 
necessity. 

The  great  original  sculptors  of  Greece,  whom  all  the  world 
now  studies,  stayed  at  home  to  study  as  Emerson  would  say, 
and  did  not  bother  much  with  going  to  Egypt  or  Mesopotamia. 
God  is  a  rewarder  of  those  that  diligently  seek  Him,  not  by 
imitation,  not  outwardly,  not  with  the  noise  of  words  that 
men  may  hear,  but  in  the  closet,  in  the  silence  of  the  inner 
chamber  of  the  soul.  Every  man  must  find  himself,  and  be 
himself;  the  new  birth  and  growth  in  Christ  make  perfect 
each  man's  individuality.  But  there  must  be  another  con- 
ception of  God  than  that  against  which  the  Buddhists  warn 
us,  that  He  is  a  "cow  to  be  milked." 

God  hid  Himself  behind  the  world  of  our  physical  senses 
that  we,  free  of  all  compulsion,  might  develop  the  spiritual 
man.  When  that  is  developed,  God  can  safely  reveal  His 
infinite  power  and  wisdom  and  goodness.  Who  could  make 
free  choice  in  the  conscious  presence  of  an  infinite  One? 

Evolution  is  a  sword  that  cuts  both  ways.  It  chooses,  it 
condemns.  The  fittest  survive.  There  are  many  called,  but 

xxii 


ITntrofcuctlcm 


few  chosen.  The  most  pathetic  and  pitiful  thing  in  all  the 
world  is  to  see  the  multitudes  striving  to  get  out  of  the  king- 
dom of  the  natural  man  what  is  not  in  it. 

Punishment  comes — it,  too,  is  natural;  and  it  is  largely 
within.  Degeneracy,  through  persistent  wrong-choosing,  is 
the  law  of  nature — fixed,  inevitable.  If  a  man  will  not 
choose  to  ascend,  he  loses  his  power  to  choose. 

IV 

The  scientist  is  short-sighted  and  narrow-sighted  who 
walls  science  in  at  the  boundary  of  his  senses — a  mole  ac- 
counting for  phenomena,  and  leaving  out  the  eye ;  a  Laura 
Bridgenian  accounting  for  whatever  came  into  her  life  by  her 
two  or  three  physical  senses. 

Foolish  wise  men,  not  to  know  that  the  surest  of  all  proofs 
is  to  be  looked  for  in  inner  experience ;  that  the  most  real 
things  in  the  world  are  made  clear  not  by  physical  proof,  but  by 
life!  Darwin  reached  the  point  where  poetry  and  music  were 
little  to  him ;  yet  the  world  of  music  and  of  beauty  are  more 
certain  than  is  Mont  Blanc  or  Mount  Washington ;  but  there 
is  only  one  way  to  know  them,  and  that  is  to  grow  the  facul- 
ties of  music  and  beauty.^  To  the  Roman  soldiers  who  may 
have  heard  it,  how  unsubstantial  was  the  Sermon  on  the 
Mount ;  yet  its  truths  of  the  brotherhood  of  man,  of  the  father- 
hood of  God,  of  meekness,  of  loving,  of  justice,  of  faith  in 
the  inner  things,  outlasted  the  Roman  armies,  saw  the  empire 
ground  to  dust,  and  their  speaker,  one  thousand  nine  hundred 
years  afterward,  by  far  the  most  potent  personality  that  ever 
lived.) ('The  mother's  love  will  outpull  gravity,  and  yet  what 
scientist  has  chemically  analyzed  it,  or  what  dissecting-knife 
has  revealed  its  whereabouts?/  There  are  brute  women  to 
whom  this  love  is  "unthinkable,"  "unknowable,"  but  let  them 
grow  the  mother-heart,  and  then  they  can  think  it,  know  it. 

Foolish  wise  men,  ye  can  discern  the  shadow  of  things ;  look 
up  and  behold  the  substance !  Rochefort  said  to  Gambetta : 
"Deafness  is  not  politics."  When  will  scientists  learn  that 
true  science  must  have  eyes  and  ears  open  to  all  experience 
within  as  well  as  without. 

xxiii 


Introduction 


Once  scientists  among  moles  held  a  congress,  and  learnedly 
resolved  that  they  would  believe  in  nothing  that  could  not  be 
submitted  for  proof  to  their  four  senses.  One  learned  mole 
with  bated  breath  said :  "  There  must  be  something  above  our 
four  senses.  I  one  day  broke  through  the  crust  of  the  earth 
and  felt  strange  sensations,  and  had  a  glimmering  in  the  rudi- 
ments called  eyes  by  our  older  philosophers."  "Nonsense!  " 
said  a  grayhead  among  them.  "  Let  us  have  no  transcendent- 
alism ;  eveiything  that  is  must  be  explained  by  sound,  or  by 
touch,  or  by  smell,  or  by  the  taste.  All  this  talk  of  a  great 
central  sun  with  light,  making  landscapes  and  from  which  all 
things  come,  we  have  no  way  of  proving ;  and  hence  to  believe 
it,  or  to  admit  it  as  an  element  in  accounting  for  things,  is 
unscientific.  The  scientific  method,  let  us  never  forget,  is  to 
account  for  all  things  by  the  elements  which  come  within  the 
range  of  our  four  senses  and  the  reasoning  based  upon  these 
perceptions." 

So  it  happens  that  to  this  day  in  the  cosmic  science  accepted 
among  moles  the  sun  has  nothing  to  do  with  the  growth  of 
plants,  the  formation  of  coal-beds,  and  the  rotation  of  the 
seasons. 

How  imperfect  that  history  that  would  content  itself  with 
writing  a  biography  of  the  acorn,  and  never  take  into  account 
the  oak  that  comes  from  the  acorn  and  for  which  the  acorn 
exists !  The  oak  reveals  the  acorn ;  without  the  oak  the  acorn 
is  not  explicable.  How  can  any  one  understand  the  evolution 
of  man  and  not  consider  the  vastly  greater  segment  of  his 
nature,  which  is  the  non-material  and  spiritual?  The  scien- 
tist believes  in  the  indestructibility  of  matter.  The  step  is  a 
short  one  to  the  belief  in  the  indestructibility  of  spirit.  He 
believes  in  substance  infinitely  extended;  the  step  is  not  a 
long  one  to  belief  in  the  personality  that  is  infinitely  extended. 
He  believes  that  in  all  matter  is  a  "thinking  substance."  Is 
it  harder  to  believe  that  over  and  in  all  things  is  a  thinking 
spirit?*  The  scientist  endows  matter  with  the  powers  it 

*  "  We  adbere  firmly  to  the  pure,  unequivocal  monism  of  Spinoza :  Matter,  or  Infi- 
nitely extended  substance,  and  spirit  (or  energy),  or  sensitive  and  thinking  substance, 
are  the  two  fundamental  attributes  or  principal  properties  of  the  all-embracing  divine 
essence  of  the  world,  the  universal  substance."—"  The  Riddle  of  the  Universe,"  Ernst 
Baeckel,  p.  21. 

xxiv 


UntroDuction 


needs  to  do  all  these  things,  and  then  says  it  does  all  these 
things. 

Yet  science,  when  it  comes  to  know,  when  it  comes  to  take 
in  all  the  facts,  to  go  deep  enough,  and  wide  enough,  and 
far  enough,  will  be  the  arbiter.  Creed,  dogma,  authority, 
must  give  way  to  it.  Magellan  said :  "  The  Church  declares 
the  world  is  fiat,  but  I  have  seen  its  shadow  on  the  moon,  and 
I  had  rather  believe  a  shadow  than  the  Church."  That  is 
true  only  when  the  Church  makes  provision  for  but  a  part  of 
the  truth,  and  when  science  is  true  to  itself.  The  assumptions 
of  science  and  the  assumptions  of  the  Church  will  have  to  be 
corrected  by  experience,  the  experience  of  the  whole  man. 

V 

Christ  is  not  an  idealism,  but  a  living,  throbbing,  visible, 
audible  Being — the  real  Christ ;  the  body  in  Galilee  was  the 
shadow,  the  outward  shell  that  could  be  crushed.  The  One 
now  coming  is  the  Mighty  One  who  is  out  of  the  reach  of 
stones  and  spears,  the  type-life  and  potent  King  of  the  king- 
dom of  the  spiritual  man.  And  he  who  hath  Him  also  hath 
power.  "Ye  shall  receive  power"  (Acts  i.  8)  "Stephen, 
full  of  faith  and  power"  (Acts  vi.  8).  "The  kingdom-  of 
God  is  not  in  word,  but  in  power"  (1  Cor.  iv.  20).  Says 
Paul  of  those  at  Corinth  who  found  fault  with  him :  I  will 
not  know  their  speech,  but  their  potver  (1  Cor.  iv.  19).  He 
who  has  not  power  is  not  of  the  kingdom  of  the  spiritual  man, 
for  "whatsoever  is  born  of  God  overcometh  the  world." 
This  Christ  is  a  present  force  in  the  world,  producing  changes, 
quickening  and  directing  energies,  and  must  be  reckoned  with. 
Christian  civilization  also  proves  itself  by  its  power. 

But  to  see  Him  this  time  we  must  have  eyes  and  ears  fitted 
to  recognize  the  manifestations  of  the  inner  kingdom — the 
kingdom  of  all  first  causes  and  real  forces.  He  is  not  coming 
with  the  noise  of  trumpets,  nor  with  whirlwinds,  nor  with 
earthquakes ;  but  with  the  silence  of  the  growth  of  the  mus- 
tard-seed,, of  the  leaven,  of  the  grain  of  corn  reaching  up  to 
the  blade  and  full  corn  in  the  ear. 

There  can  be  nothing  more  manifest  to-day  to  the  optic 


Introduction 


nerve  of  the  spiritual  man  than  is  this  coming.  The  lightning 
flashing  from  the  east  to  the  west  is  not  nearly  so  manifest. 

Every  event  is  alive  with  His  appearing.  His  presence  is 
the  most  evident  thing  in  the  world,  the  very  splendor  of  the 
light  hides  Him.  "Lo,  I  am  with  you  alway!"  is  now 
known  by  millions  to  be  a  vital,  stupendous  fact.  He  is 
nearer  to  such  a  heart  than  the  mother  to  the  babe. 

This  coming  is  in  harmony  with  recognizable  law ;  belief  in  it 
is  logic,  is  common  sense.  It  would  be  extraordinary,  miracu- 
lous, if  He  did  not  now  come.  When  it  is  our  will  to  do  His 
will,  we  become  the  reincarnation  of  Christ,  for  "Christ  is 
formed  in  us."  When  the  dominating  ones  in  a  community, 
in  a  church,  in  a  nation,  in  the  world,  are  of  this  sort,  you 
see  Christ  reincarnated  in  all  these.  Moses,  David,  John, 
Plato,  Augustine,  Savonarola,  Bunyan,  were  great  ideal  dream- 
ers, but  they  were  also  geniuses  of  common  sense.  These 
men  were  primarily  men  of  faith  and  great  good  sense,  not 
of  credulity.  They  had  the  power  and  common  sense  to 
know  that  there  were  voices  within,  and  to  withdraw  their  at- 
tention from  the  voices  without  and  give  the  real  world  a 
chance  to  be  heard.  They  knew  that  the  universe  would  fall 
into  chaos  and  that  stars  would  be  ground  to  dust  if  these 
worlds  were  disobedient  to  law.-  They  knew  that  there  was 
an  inner  universe,  and  that  there  were  inner  laws  infinitely 
more  important.  They  knew  it  to  be  the  A  B  C  of  common 
sense  to  conform  to  these  inner  laws.  Christ  was  and  is  the 
embodiment  cf  common  sense;  and  so  His  followers  become 
as  they  grow  into  the  new  creatures  of  the  kingdom  of  the 
spiritual  man. 

There  are  voices  within  distinct  and  clear  to  those  who  have 
ears  to  hear ;  clearer  than  silver  bells  ringing  up  in  air  at 
midnight.  One  who  has  grown  this  spiritual  nature  ceases  to 
talk  about  the  inward  world  being  silent  or  hid — yet  there  are 
clouds  and  doubts.  These  things  must  needs  be — these  as- 
sailed Christ  to  the  last.  And  if  angels  do  not  also  follow, 
ministering  to  us,  it  is  because  we  have  not  reached  the  plane 
of  spiritual  seeing.  Help  is  always  near,  and  it  should  not 
be  necessary  for  a  prophet's  hand  to  touch  our  eyes  to  enable 

xxvi 


Introduction 


us  to  see  the  mountains  covered  with  heavenly  allies,  or  to  en- 
able us  to  know  the  signs  of  the  times.  There  is  no  room  for 
fear.  Bismarck  spoke  with  the  accents  of  a  prophet  when  he 
said:  "Germany  fears  nothing  but  God."  The  cry  is  gone 
out  to  the  ends  of  the  earth :  "  Great  is  the  soul  of  man ;  make 
way,  make  way!  " 

These  signs  of  a  mighty  change  are  deepening  and  multiply- 
ing as  we  swing  into  the  new  century.  The  Jewish  people 
were  to  be  trodden  underfoot  until  the  inner  kingdom  of  love 
should  be  established ;  that  barbarism  of  hate  is  now  rapidly 
dying. 

Were  we  wise  enough,  events  all  around  us  would  be  to  us 
prophecies  of  the  coming  of  the  triumphant  God,  of  the  king- 
dom of  the  spiritual  man. 

Watch!  By  watching  we  develop  the  ability  to  discern 
things  beyond  the  senses. 

Above  every  cloud  the  light  is  now  breaking ;  the  earth  is 
rolling  into  the  dawn  of  a  marvelous  day. 

The  yoke  of  ecclesiasticisin  is  giving  way  to  the  yoke  of 
Christ.  Creed  is  the  memory  of  the  Church.  The  real  yoke 
of  Christ  is  not  a  burden ;  it  has  wings.  He  is  sweetness  and 
light.  Let  criticism  have  its  way.  The  testing-time  has 
come,  give  it  welcome.  A  man  must  now  stand  a  vital 
Christian,  or  a  hypocrite,  or  an  open  enemy — that  will  be  a 
great  gain.  Creeds  to-day  are  trying  to  understand  one  an- 
other. Christianity  is  being  reduced  to  its  least  common  de- 
nominator, a  living  Christ.  The  church  is  finding  it  harder 
and  harder  to  think  of  itself  as  a  great-great-grandchild.  It 
is  coming  to  believe  in  its  present  experiences,  and  to  write  its 
own  creeds  for  to-day,  and  not  for  to-morrow.  Since  God  is, 
the  Church  and  the  world  will  not  necessarily  fall  to  pieces  if 
they  let  go  their  props  and  scaffoldings.  If  there  be  no  God, 
creeds  and  forms  and  ceremonies  are  necessities.  A  living 
God  is  efficient  and  sufficient. 

There  is  no  more  unfailing  sign  of  the  nearness  of  Christ 
than  the  growth  of  loving  beyond  the  provincialism  of  the  fam- 
ily, the  clan,  the  class,  the  nation.  "Ye  are  brethren."  All 
things  in  common,  was  not  an  impracticable  dream,  but  a 

xxvii 


Introduction 


fundamental  law  of  the  kingdom  of  the  spiritual  Man.  We 
must  organize  sooner  or  later  on  that  basis.  We  are  speed- 
ing onward  toward  that  sun.  We  feel  its  growing  heat.  If 
we  do  not  love  our  brethren  whom  we  have  seen,  how  can  we 
love  God  whom  we  have  not  seen?  What  do  ye  mean  by  the 
communion  of  saints,  ye  who  pray  it  Sunday  by  Sunday? 
Spell  it  out.  Brotherhood  is  not  a  fiction  of  the  imagination. 
Communion  is  not  a  Pentecostal  fantasy.  A  living  Christ  is 
to-day  more  than  ever  on  earth  an  aggressively  unifying  force. 
Immensely  human  was  Christ's  message  to  man — Brotherhood 
and  Fatherhood,  and  by  those  tokens  we  recognize  His  present 
footsteps. 

Judge  these  things  as  you  would  the  motions  of  the  hands 
of  the  clock.  Look  back  a  half  dozen  centuries  and  make 
comparisons.  War  is  recognized  more  and  more  as  a  barbar- 
ism, and  its  end  is  over  yonder  hill.  The  court  of  nations  to 
settle  wrongs  is  looming  above  the  horizon.  The  nation  that 
loves  its  fellow  nations  is  also  born  of  God. 

The  humanities  are  in  order.  Over  one  hundred  and  ten 
million  dollars  were  contributed  in  the  United  States  for  edu- 
cational and  other  charities  within  the  last  two  years.*  Nearly 
two  million  dollars  were  given  to  suffering  Galveston;  and 
Carnegie's  immense  benefactions  are  but  one  of  the  many  indi- 
cations of  the  full  dawning  of  the  day  of  living  for  others. 

A  single  individual  the  other  day,  a  member  of  an  unpopular 
race,  is  wronged  in  France,  and  all  the  world  is  aroused,  and 
flashes  thunderbolts  of  wrath  under  oceans  and  across  con- 
tinents until  there  is  a  beginning  to  right  the  wrong.  Man- 
kind is  rapidly  becoming 

"...  One  in  spirit,  and  In  Instinct  bears  along 
Around  the  earth's  electric  circle  the  swift  flash  of  right  and  wrong." 

The  marvelous  sowing  about  the  Sea  of  Galilee  is  reaching 
its  ripening.  The  leaven  is  leavening  the  whole  lump.  The 
mustard-seed  reappears  in  hundreds  and  hundreds  of  millions 
of  seed.  Cuba  is  helped  to  freedom  for  its  own  sake ;  the 
Russian  Czar — he  at  least— in  sincerity  says:  "War  should 
end. "  In  business  it  is  ceasing  to  be  a  maxim  that  the  benefit 

*  From  advance  sheets  of  "  Appleton's  Annual  Cyclopaedia  "  for  1901. 

\\viii 


fntroOuctton 


of  the  one  is  ever  opposed  to  the  benefit  of  the  many.  We 
are  learning  that  the  Golden  Rule  and  the  law  of  self- 
preservation  run  parallel.  Applied  to  commercialism,  the 
Golden  Rule  is  so  to  make  money  as  to  give  a  benefit  also  to 
him  from  whom  you  make  it ;  and  that,  too,  is  common  sense. 
The  children  of  the  inner  kingdom,  never  crowd :  the  more,  the 
more  room. 

In  all  these  things  we  see  just  the  beginnings  of  the  results 
of  His  coming :  all  men  of  one  family,  God  the  Father,  and 
Christ  the  eldest  Brother;  the  sacredness  of  truth,  of  the 
soul,  of  all  life ;  the  reality  of  the  inner  world. 

Man  has  climbed  up  in  countless  ages  by  the  slow  processes 
of  evolution  to  where  he  can  use  the  powers  of  nature  through 
his  brain — becoming  a  coworker  with  God  in  guiding  the 
processes  of  evolution.  Now,  being  reborn  into  the  inner 
kingdom,  he  starts  on  a  new  and  infinitely  higher  destiny. 
Eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard,  the  things  that  are  laid  up 
for  those  thus  born. 

With  a  boundless  universe  within  and  without,  and  an  in- 
finite God,  and  with  an  eternity  to  live  and  work  in,  many, 
many  things  can  take  place,  and  it  is  God's  good  pleasure 
that  they  shall  never  take  place  to  our  hurt.  The  creature  of 
the  kingdom  of  the  spiritual  man  is  injury-proof. 

And  the  command  is :  "  Be  ye  perfect  as  your  Father  is 
perfect " ;  ever  approaching  Him  in  countless  ages  and  reach- 
ing Him  at  the  end  of  eternity,  had  eternity  an  end ;  but  since 
it  has  no  end,  in  whatever  distant  period  and  however  great 
the  distance  between  us,  God  is  still  the  Infinite  One  and  we 
the  finite  ones. 

Ah,  how  men  err !  The  Roman  Emperor,  after  his  awful 
massacre  of  Christians,  set  up  a  column  in  memory  of  the 
extinction  of  the  last  Christian.  But  the  Roman  empire  is 
in  dust,  and  now  the  world  is  rapidly  becoming  wholly  Chris- 
tian ;  and  were  that  Emperor  alive,  he,  quite  likely,  would 
applaud  the  result.  God's  stoppings  are  from  star  to  star. 
Who  knoweth  His  counsel? 

We  look  back  over  the  conflict  of  the  ages  of  evolution ;  we 
now  see,  in  the  changing  of  the  dunghill  into  shrubs  and  roses 


Introduction 


and  into  food,  the  prophecy  of  all,  and  we  marvel  at  our 
blindness  in  not  knowing  that  the  most  manifest  thing  in  all 
the  world,  and  at  all  times,  was  God  the  Father  working  for 
good,  whom  again  and  again  we  have  compelled  to  cry  out  in 
pain  (for  God  can  suffer  pain)  :  The  reproaches  of  men  have 
broken  my  heart.  Looking  backward,  we  begin  to  see  the 
good  in  everything,  that  there  has  not  been  a  fall  of  a  sparrow 
without  accompanying  provision  for  the  sparrow,  and  we  grow 
enthusiastic  and  shout  with  the  martyr  of  old :  "  Glory  be  to 
God  for  everything  that  happens !  "  Hand-in-hand  we  walk 
with  the  great  Father  over  the  ages  of  history,  riding  victo- 
rious over  mountain-tops. 

We  see,  modifying  the  words  of  John  Fiske,  that  in  the 
roaring  loom  of  time,  out  of  the  endless  web  of  events,  strand 
by  strand,  was  woven  more  and  more  clearly  the  living  gar- 
ment of  God. 

When  Christ  had  passed  beyond  the  grave,  He  said 
"Mary,"  and  Mary  said  "Master";  they  spake,  they  under- 
stood, tho  death  and  the  grave  intervened.  The  world  of 
the  physical  senses  has  no  barrier  that  hinders  knowing  in  the 
kingdom  of  the  spiritual  man. 


"The  Wandering  Jew  "  is  near  the  end  of  his  wanderings. 

As  reasoned  the  Apostle :  *  If  the  Gentiles  were  cut  out  of 
the  olive-tree  which  is  wild  by  nature,  and  were  grafted  con- 
trary to  nature  into  a  good  olive-tree,  how  much  more  shall 
the  Jews,  which  be  the  natural  branches,  be  grafted  into  their 
own  olive-tree?  For  God  is  able  to  graft  them  in  again.  For 
I  would  not,  brethren,  that  you  should  be  ignorant  of  this 
mystery,  lest  ye  should  be  wise  in  your  own  conceits:  that 
blindness  in  part  has  happened  to  Israel,  until  the  fulness  of 
the  Gentiles  be  come  in.  AND  SO  ALL  ISRAEL  SHALL 
BE  SAVED. 

I.  K    F. 

NEW  YORK,  April  15,  1901. 

*  Rom.  xi. 

XXX 


AUTHOR'S   PREFACE 


THEKE  has  appeared  from  time  to  time  in  Europe,  during 
the  past  thousand  years,  a  mysterious  individual — a  sojourner 
in  all  lands,  yet  a  citizen  of  none ;  professing  the  profoundest 
secrets  of  opulence,  yet  generally  living  in  a  state  of  poverty ; 
astonishing  every  one  by  the  vigor  of  his  recollections,  and  the 
evidence  of  his  intercourse  with  the  eminent  characters  and 
events  of  every  age,  yet  connected  with  none — without  line- 
age, possession,  or  pursuit  on  earth — a  wanderer  and  un- 
happy ! 

A  number  of  histories  have  been  written  about  him ;  some 
purely  fictitious,  others  founded  on  ill-understood  records. 
Germany,  the  land  of  mysticism,  has  toiled  the  most  in  this 
idle  perversion  of  truth.  Yet  those  narratives  have  been  in 
general  but  a  few  pages,  feebly  founded  on  the  fatal  sentence 
of  his  punishment  for  an  indignity  offered  to  the  Author  of 
the  Christian  faith. 

That  exile  lives !  that  most  afflicted  of  the  people  of  affliction 
yet  walks  this  earth,  bearing  the  sorrows  of  eighteen  centuries 
on  his  brow — withering  in  soul  for  the  guilt  of  an  hour  of 
madness.  He  has  long  borne  the  scoff  of  man  in  silence ;  he 
has  heard  his  princely  rank  degraded  to  that  of  a  menial,  and 
heard  without  a  murmur ;  he  has  heard  his  unhappy  offense 
charged  to  deliberate  malice,  when  it  was  but  the  misfortune 
of  a  zeal  inflamed  by  the  passions  of  his  people ;  and  he  has 
bowed  to  the  calumny  as  a  portion  of  his  punishment.  But 
the  time  for  this  forbearance  is  no  more.  He  feels  himself 
at  last  wearing  away;  and  feels,  with  a  sensation  like  that 
of  returning  to  the  common  fates  of  mankind,  a  desire  to 
stand  clear  with  his  fellow  men.  In  their  presence  he  will 
never  move  again;  to  their  justice,  or  their  mercy,  he  will 

xxxi 


Butbor's  preface 


never  again  appeal.  The  wound  of  his  soul  rests,  never  again 
to  be  disclosed,  until  that  day  when  all  beings  shall  be  sum- 
moned and  all  secrets  be  known. 

In  his  final  retreat  he  has  collected  these  memorials.  He 
has  concealed  nothing ;  he  has  dissembled  nothing ;  the  picture 
of  his  hopes  and  fears,  his  weaknesses  and  his  sorrows,  is 
stamped  here  with  sacred  sincerity. 

Other  narratives  may  be  more  specious  or  eloquent,  but  this 
narrative  has  the.  supreme  merit  of  reality.  It  may  be 
doubted;  it  may  even  be  denied.  But  this  he  must  endure. 
He  has  been  long  trained  to  the  severity  of  the  world ! 

THE  AUTHOR. 


xxxii 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


PAGE 

INTRODUCTORY  LETTER  FKOM  GENERAL  LEWIS  WALLACE,       .  v 

INTRODUCTION,  .........  ix 

AUTHOR'S  PREFACE,.        ........         xxxi 

BOOK   I 

CHAPTER 

I. — Salathiel  Doomed  to  Immortality,         ....      3 

II. — An  Awakening  and  a  Summons,  .         .        .        .        .10 

III. — Salathiel's  Resolution  in  the  Temple,  .         .        .        .15 

IV. — Salathiel  Journeys  Far  from  Jerusalem,       .         .        .22 

V.—Eleazar  Learns  of  Salathiel's  Renunciation,         .        .     28 

VI. — Salathiel  and  His  People,      ......     35 

VII.— The  Loss  of  a  Life, 41 

VIII  — Salathiel  Confronts  the  Shade  of  Antiochus,        .        .     47 
IX. — The  Romans  Driven  from  the  Holy  City,      .         .         .56 

X.— The  Fall  of  Onias, .62 

XL— The  Strength  of  Judea, 69 

XII. — The  Prince  of  Naphtali  Confronts  Desolation,      .         .     78 
XIII.— The  Wandering  of  a  Mind  Diseased,     .        .         .        .84 

XIV.— The  Fury  of  a  Tempest, 92 

XV.— The  Appeal  of  Miriam, 101 

XVI.— The  Heart  of  Salome, 112 

XVII.— A  Declaration  of  Love 121 

XVIII.— Salathiel  Faces  a  Roman,      .         .        ...        .  132 

XIX.— On  Board  a  Trireme, 138 

XX.— The  Burning  of  Rome,  .        .        .        .         .        .145 

XXL— The  Death  of  a  Martyr, 157 

BOOK  II 

XXII.— The  Year  of  Jubilee, .173 

XXIII. — Preparing  for  an  Attack, 181 

XXIV.— The  Departure  of  Constantius,      .        ,        .        ,        .189 

XXV. — Salathiel  in  Strange  Company,      .        .        .     'sr.        .  197 

XXVI.— In  the  Lions'  Lair,        .         .         .        .  -     .         .        .205 

XXVII.— The  Escape  of  Salathiel  the  Magician,          .        .        .  215 

XXVIII.— The  Power  of  a  Beggar, 221 

XXIX. — Prisoners  in  a  Labyrinth,      ......  232 

XXX.— The  Revenge  of  a  Victor 242 

xxxiii 


Gable  of  Contents 


CHAPTKR  PACK 

XXXI.— The  Difficulties  of  a  Leader, 261 

XXXII.— "Never  Shalt  Thou  Enter  Jerusalem,"  .         .        .        .258 

XXXIII.—  Jubal's  Warning, 266 

XXXIV.— The  Pursuit  of  an  Enemy,     .        ...        .         .        .272 

XXXV.— The  Lapse  of  Years, 276 

XXXVI.— Death  in  a  Cavern, 284 

XXXVII.— A  Pirate  Band, 291 

XXXVIII.— Salathiel  and  the  Pirate  Captain 300 

XXXIX.— A  Sea  Fight, 310 

XL.— A  Burning  Trireme, 317 

XLI. — The  Granddaughter  of  Ananus, 323 

BOOK   III 

XLIL—  Naomi's  Story, 333 

XLIII.— Before  Masada, .339 

XLIV.— Among  Koman  Soldiers, .346 

XLV.— The  Reign  of  the  Sword 363 

XLVI.—  A  Cry  of  Wo, 358 

XLVIL—  The  Struggle  for  Supremacy, 362 

XLVIII.— The  Sting  of  a  Story,     . 372 

XLIX.— Salathiel's  Strange  Quarters, 377 

L.— After  the  Struggle,         .        .        .        .        .         .         .383 

LI.— A  Man  of  Mystery,       .         .        .        .        .        .        .389 

LIL— The  Prophecy  of  Evil, 396 

LIIL—  A  Fatal  Sign, .401 

LIV. — Concerning  Septimius, 411 

LV.— Salathiel  a  Prisoner, 417 

LVI. — A  Narrow  Escape, 426 

LVIL— Onias,  the  Enemy  of  Salathiel, 436 

LVIIL—  Eleazar  the  Convert, 445 

LIX.— The  Clemency  of  Titus, 465 

LX.— The  Treatment  of  a  Prisoner,         .        .         .        .         .  466 

LXI. — A  Steward's  Narrative, 474 

LXII.— A  Prisoner  in  the  Tower, 487 

LXIII.— A  Minstrel's  Power  of  Speech,      .     .    .        .         .        .496 

LXIV. — The  Destruction  of  Jerusalem,      .....  512 

APPENDIX 

Annotations,      .         .         .         .  .         .         .         .         .         .  637 

Jesus  of  Nazareth  from  the  Present  Jewish  Point  of  View — Letters 

from  over  Thirty  Representative  Jewish  Scholars,  .  .  .  551 

Other  Testimony  to  Jesus, 570 

The  Second  Coming  of  Christ— A  Succinct  History,  by  D.  S. 

Gregory,  D.D.,  LL.D., 574 

Reasons  for  the  Belief  that  Christ  may  Come  Within  the  Next 

Twenty  Years,  by  Arthur  T.  Pi erson,  D.D.,       .        .        .         .582 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE 

"Tarry  thou  till  I  come  !"        .....        Frontispiece 

"All  in  the  Temple  was  confusion," 20 

"The  archer  dropped  dead,  with  the  arrow  still  on  his  bow,"  .         .     64 
'"  Read  the  Scriptures.     I  have  prayed  for  you.     Read — '"     .         .  104 
"'Let  your  guard  come,' cried  I,"    .        .        .        .         .        .         .   136 

"I  heard  the  gnashing  of  his  white  fangs  above  me,"       .        .         .  168 

"The  lions,  made  more  furious  by  wounds,  sprang  upon  the  power- 
ful horses," 208 

"  I  gave  the  word — fell  upon  the  guard  at  the  gate,  and  cast  it  open  !  "  240 
"' Now  for  glory  !'  they  cried,"        .......  268 

"The  solitary  voyager  of  the  burning  trireme,"        ....  318 

"  I  had  rescued  Constantius  ! " 356 

"The  Roman  rushed  at  him  with  his  drawn  falchion,"    .        »  .      .   396 
"'Esther  is  gone  !'  was  her  answer,"        ......  424 

"'Now,  my  beloved  brothers,  beloved  in  the  Lord,  go  forth,'  said 

Eleazar," 452 

"Titus  rode  at  the  head  of  his  stately  company,  himself  the  most 
stately  of  them  all," .        .  488 

"Judea  must  fall," .   '     .  508 

"I  heard  the  shouts  of  the  conquerors,  and  the  fall  of  the  pillars  of 

the  Temple," 532 


TARRY  THOU  TILL  I  COME 


CHAPTER  I 

Salathiel  Doomed  to  Immortality 

"TARRY  THOU  TILL  I  COME."  '  *  The  words  shot  through 
me — I  felt  them  like  an  arrow  in  my  heart — my  brain  whirled 
— my  eyes  grew  dim.  The  troops,  the  priests,  the  populace, 
the  world,  passed  away  from  before  my  senses  like  phantoms. 

But  my  mind  had  a  horrible  clearness.  As  if  the  veil  that 
separates  the  visible  and  invisible  worlds  had  been  rent  in 
sunder,  I  saw  shapes  and  signs  for  which  mortal  language 
has  no  name.  The  whole  expanse  of  the  future  spread  under 
my  mental  gaze.  A  preternatural  light,  a  new  power  of 
mind,  seemed  to  have  been  poured  into  my  being ;  I  saw  at 
once  the  full  guilt  of  my  crime — the  fierce  folly — the  mad 
ingratitude — the  desperate  profanation.  I  lived  over  again  in 
frightful  distinctness  every  act  and  instant  of  the  night  of  my 
unspeakable  sacrilege.  I  saw,  as  if  written  with  a  sunbeam, 
the  countless  injuries  that  in  the  rage  of  bigotry  I  had  accumu- 
lated upon  the  victim ;  the  bitter  mockeries  that  I  had  devised ; 
the  cruel  tauntings  that  my  lips  had  taught  the  rabble ;  the 
pitiless  malignity  that  had  forbidden  them  to  discover  a  trace 
of  virtue  where  all  virtue  was.  The  blows  of  the  scourge 
still  sounded  in  my  ears.  Every  drop  of  the  innocent  blood 
rose  up  in  judgment  against  me. 

Accursed  be  the  night  in  which  I  fell  before  the  tempter ! 
Blotted  out  from  time  and  eternity  be  the  hour  in  which  I 
took  part  with  the  torturers !  Every  fiber  of  my  frame  quiv- 
ers, every  drop  of  my  blood  curdles,  as  I  still  hear  the  echo 

*  The  superior  numbers  appearing  throughout  the  text  refer  to  "  Explanatory  Notes" 
in  the  first  pages  of  the  Appendix. 


Cbou  GUI  f  Come 


Satatbfd'a  of  the  anathema,  that  on  the  night  of  wo  sprang  first  from 
tfdumpb  my  lips,  "  His  BLOOD  BE  UPON  us,  AND  UPON  OUR  CHILDREN  !  " 

I  had  headed  the  multitude ;  where  others  shrank,  I  urged ; 
where  others  pitied,  I  reviled ;  I  scoffed  at  the  feeble  malice 
of  the  priesthood ;  I  scoffed  at  the  tardy  cruelty  of  the  Koman ; 
I  swept  away  by  menace  and  by  scorn  the  human  reluctance 
of  the  few  who  dreaded  to  dip  their  hands  in  blood.  Think- 
ing to  do  God  service,  and  substituting  my  passions  for  my 
God,  I  threw  firebrands  on  the  hearts  of  a  rash,  jealous,  and 
bigoted  people  —I  triumphed ! 

In  a  deed  which  ought  to  have  covered  earth  with  lamen- 
tation, which  was  to  make  angels  weep,  which  might  have 
shaken  the  universe  into  dust,  I  triumphed !  The  decree  was 
passed ;  but  my  frenzy  was  not  so  to  be  satiated.  I  loathed 
the  light  while  the  victim  lived.  Under  the  charge  of  "  trea- 
son to  Caesar,"  I  demanded  instant  execution  of  the  sentence. 
— "Not  a  day  of  life  must  be  given,"  I  exclaimed,  "not  an 
hour ; — death,  on  the  instant ;  death !  "  My  clamor  was 
echoed  by  the  roar  of  millions. 

But  in  the  moment  of  my  exultation  I  was  stricken.  He 
who  had  refused  an  hour  of  life  to  the  victim  was,  in  terrible 
retribution,  condemned  to  know  the  misery  of  life  intermi- 
nable. I  heard  through  all  the  voices  of  Jerusalem — I  should 
have  heard  through  all  the  thunders  of  heaven — the  calm,  low 
voice,  "  Tarry  thou  till  I  come !  " 

I  felt  my  fate  at  once !  I  sprang  away  through  the  shout- 
ing hosts  as  if  the  avenging  angel  waved  his  sword  above  my 
head.  Wild  songs,  furious  execrations,  the  uproar  of  myriads 
stirred  to  the  heights  of  passion,  filled  the  air ;  still,  through 
all,  I  heard  the  pursuing  sentence,  "Tarry  thou  till  I  come," 
and  felt  it  to  be  the  sentence  of  incurable  agony !  I  was  never 
to  know  the  shelter  of  the  grave! 

Immortality  on  Earth! — The  compulsion  of  perpetual  exist- 
ence in  a  world  made  for  change ;  to  feel  thousands  of  years 
bowing  down  my  wretched  head ;  alienated  from  all  the  hopes, 
enjoyments,  and  pursuits  of  man,  to  bear  the  heaviness  of  that 
existence  which  palls  even  with  all  the  stimulants  of  the  most 
vivid  career  of  man ;  life  passionless,  exhausted,  melancholy, 


Salatbfel  Doomed  to  Ummortalitg 


old.     I  was  to  be  a  wild  beast;  and  a  wild  beast  condemned   B  Ceaseless 
to  pace  the  same  eternal  cage !     A  criminal  bound  to  the  floor 
of  his  dungeon  forever !     I  would  rather  have  been  blown  about 
on  the  storms  of  every  region  of  the  universe. 

Immortality  on  Earth !  — I  was  still  in  the  vigor  of  life ;  but 
must  it  be  always  so?  Must  not  pain,  feebleness,  the  loss  of 
mind,  the  sad  decay  of  all  the  resources  of  the  human  being, 
be  the  natural  result  of  time?  Might  I  not  sink  into  the  per- 
petual sick-bed,  hopeless  decrepitude,  pain  without  cure  or 
relaxation,  the  extremities  of  famine,  of  disease,  of  madness? 
— yet  this  was  to  be  borne  for  ages  of  ages ! 

Immortality  on  Earth ! — Separation  from  all  that  cheers  and 
ennobles  life.  I  was  to  survive  my  country;  to  see  the  soil 
dear  to  my  heart  violated  by  the  feet  of  barbarians  yet  un- 
born, her  sacred  monuments,  her  trophies,  her  tombs,  a  scoff 
and  a  spoil.  Without  a  resting-spot  for  the  soles  of  rny  feet, 
I  was  to  witness  the  slave,  the  man  of  blood,  the  savage  of 
the  desert,  the  furious  infidel,  rioting  in  my  inheritance,  dig- 
ging up  the  bones  of  my  fathers,  trampling  on  the  holy  ruins 
of  Jerusalem ! 

Immortality  on  Earth! — I  was  to  feel  the  still  keener  mis- 
ery of  surviving  all  whom  I  loved;  wife,  child,  friend,  even 
to  the  last  being  with  whom  my  heart  could  imagine  a  human 
bond ;  all  that  bore  a  drop  of  my  blood  in  their  veins  were 
to  perish  in  my  sight,  and  I  was  to  stand  on  the  verge  of  the 
perpetual  grave,  without  the  power  to  sink  into  its  refuge. 
If  new  affections  could  ever  wind  their  way  into  my  frozen 
bosom,  it  must  be  only  to  fill  it  with  new  sorrows ;  for  those 
I  loved  must  still  be  torn  from  me.  —  In  the  world  I  must  re- 
main, and  remain  alone ! 

Immortality  on  Earth! — The  grave  that  closes  on  the  sin- 
ner, closes  on  his  sin.  His  weight  of  offense  is  fixed  No 
new  guilt  can  gather  on  him  there.  But  I  was  to  know  no 
limit  to  the  weight  that  was  already  crushing  me.  The  guilt 
of  life  upon  life,  the  surges  of  an  unfathomable  ocean  of  crime, 
were  to  roll  in  eternal  progress  over  my  head  If  the  judg- 
ment of  the  great  day  was  terrible  to  him  who  had  passed  but 
through  the  common  measure  of  existence,  what  must  be  its 

5 


Gbou  Gill  11  Gome 


i>c  paasca    terrors  to  the  wretch  who  was  to  appear  loaded  with  the  ac- 

Scrusafem     cumulated  guilt  of  a  thousand  lives ! 

Overwhelmed  with  despair,  I  rushed  through  Jerusalem, 
with  scarcely  a  consciousness  of  whither  I  was  going.  It  was 
the  time  of  the  Passover,  when  the  city  was  crowded  with  the 
multitude  come  to  the  great  festival  of  the  year.  I  felt  an 
instinctive  horror  of  the  human  countenance,  and  shunned 
every  avenue  by  which  the  tribes  came  in.  I  at  last  found 
myself  at  the  Gate  of  Zion,  that  leads  southward  into  the  open 
country.  I  had  then  no  eyes  for  that  wondrous  portal  which 
had  exhausted  the  skill  of  the  most  famous  Ionian  sculptors, 
the  master-work  of  Herod  the  Great.  But  I  vainly  tried  to 
force  my  way  through  the  crowds  that  lingered  on  their  inarch 
to  gaze  upon  its  matchless  beauty ;  portal  alone  worthy  of  the 
wonders  to  which  it  led,  like  the  glory  of  an  evening  cloud 
opening  to  lead  the  eye  upward  to  the  stars. 

On  those  days  the  Roman  guard  was  withdrawn  from  the 
battlements,  which  I  ascended  to  seek  another  escape ;  but  the 
concourse,  gathered  there  to  look  upon  the  entrance  of  the 
tribes,  fixed  me  to  the  spot.  Of  all  the  strange  and  magnifi- 
cent sights  of  earth,  this  entrance  was  the  most  fitted  to  swell 
the  national  pride  of  country  and  religion.  The  dispersion, 
ordained  by  Heaven  for  judgment  on  the  crimes  of  our  idola- 
trous kings,  had,  through  that  wonder-working  power  by 
which  good  is  brought  out  of  evil,  planted  our  law  in  the  re- 
motest extremities  of  the  world.  Among  its  proselytes  were 
the  mighty  of  all  regions,  the  military  leaders,  the  sages,  the 
kings ;  all,  at  least  once  in  their  lives,  coming  to  pay  homage 
to  the  great  central  city  of  the  faith ;  and  all  coming  with  the 
pomp  and  attendance  of  their  rank.  The  procession  amounted 
to  a  number  which  threw  after-times  into  the  shade.  Three 
millions  of  people  have  been  counted  at  the  Passover. 
\  The  diversities  of  the  multitude  were  not  less  striking 
Every  race  of  mankind,  in  its  most  marked  peculiarities,  there 
passed  beneath  the  eye.  There  came  the  long  train  of  swarthy 
slaves  and  menials  round  the  chariot  of  the  Indian  prince, 
clothed  in  the  silks  and  jewels  of  regions  beyond  the  Ganges 
Upon  them  pressed  the  troop  of  African  lion-hunters,  half 


Salatbiel  Doomed  to  Hmmortalitg 


naked,  but  with  their  black  limbs  wreathed  with  pearl  and  mnt>  comes 
fragments  of  unwrought  gold.  Behind  them,  on  camels, 
moved  patriarchal  groups,  the  Arab  sheik,  a  venerable  figure 
with  his  white  locks  flowing  from  beneath  his  turban,  leading 
his  sons,  like  our  father  Abraham,  from  the  wilderness  to  the 
Mount  of  Vision.  Then  rolled  on  the  glittering  chariot  of 
the  Assyrian  chieftain,  a  regal  show  of  purple  and  gems,  con- 
voyed by  horsemen  covered  with  steel.  The  Scythian  Jews, 
wrapped  in  the  furs  of  wolf  and  bear,  iron  men  of  the 
North;  the  noble  Greek,  the  perfection  of  the  human  form, 
with  his  countenance  beaming  the  genius  and  beauty  of  his 
country ;  the  broad  and  yellow  features  of  the  Chinese  rab- 
bins ;  the  fair  skins  and  gigantic  forms  of  the  German  tribes ; 
strange  clusters  of  men  unknown  to  the  limits  of  Europe  or 
Asia,  with  their  black  locks,  complexions  of  the  color  of  gold, 
and  slight  yet  sinewy  limbs,  marked  with  figures  of  suns  and 
stars  struck  into  the  flesh ;  all  marched  crowd  on  crowd ;  and 
in  strong  contrast  with  them,  the  Italian  on  the  charger  or  in 
the  chariot,  urging  the  living  stream  to  the  right  and  left, 
with  the  haughtiness  of  the  acknowledged  master  of  mankind. 
The  representative  world  was  before  me.j  But  all  those  dis- 
tinctive marks  of  country  and  condition,  though  palpably  in- 
eradicable by  human  means,  were  overpowered  and  mingled 
by  the  one  grand  impression  of  the  place  and  the  time  In 
their  presence  was  the  City  of  Holiness;  the  Hill  of  Zion 
lifted  up  its  palaces ;  above  them  ascended,  like  another  city 
in  a  higher  region  of  the  air,  that  TEMPLE  to  whose  majesty 
the  world  could  show  no  equal,  to  which  the  eyes  of  the  be- 
liever were  turned  from  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth,  in 
whose  courts  Solomon,  the  king  of  earthly  kings  for  wisdom, 
had  called  down  the  blessing  of  the  Most  High,  and  it  had 
descended  on  the  altar  in  fire;  in  whose  sanctuary  the  King 
whom  heaven  and  the  heaven  of  heavens  can  not  contain  was 
to  make  His  future  throne,  and  give  glory  to  His  people 

0  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem !  when  I  think  of  what  I  saw  thee 
then,  and  of  what  I  have  since  seen  thee — the  spoiled,  the 
desolate,  the  utterly  put  to  shame;  when  I  have  seen  the 
"Roman  plow  driven  through  the  soil  on  which  stood  the  Holy 


Cbou  GUI  1f  Come 


Salatbicl 

JBemoane 

Jerusalem's 

Bcsecration 


of  Holies;  the  Saracen  destroying  even  its  ruins;  the  last, 
worst  devastator,  the  barbarian  of  the  Tatar  desert,  sitting 
in  grirn  scorn  upon  the  ramparts  of  the  city  of  David ;  viola- 
ting the  tombs  of  the  prophet  and  the  king;  turning  up  for 
plunder  the  soil,  every  blade  of  whose  grass,  every  atom  of 
whose  dust,  was  sacred  to  the  broken  heart  of  Israel ;  tram- 
pling with  savage  cruelty  my  countrymen  that  lingered  among 
its  walls  only  that  they  might  seek  a  grave  in  the  ashes  of  the 
mighty,  — I  have  felt  my  spirit  maddened  within  me.  I  have 
made  impious  wishes ;  I  have  longed  for  the  lightning  to  blast 
the  tyrant.  I  still  start  from  my  bed  when  I  hear  the  whirl- 
wind, and  send  forth  fierce  prayers  that  its  rage  maybe  poured 
on  the  tents  of  the  oppressor.  I  unconsciously  tear  away  my 
white  locks,  and  scatter  them  in  bitterness  of  soul  toward  the 
East.  In  the  wildness  of  the  moment  I  have  imagined  every 
cloud  that  sailed  along  the  night  a  minister  of  the  descending 
vengeance.  I  have  seen  it  a  throne  of  terrible  shapes  flying 
on  the  wings  of  the  wind,  majestic  spirits  and  kings  of  wrath 
hurrying  through  the  heavens  to  pour  down  sulfurous  hail 
and  fire,  as  upon  the  cities  of  the  Dead  Sea.  I  have  cried  out 
with  our  prophet,  as  the  vision  swept  along,  "  Who  is  he  that 
cometh  from  Edom?  with  dyed  garments  from  Bozra?  he  that 
is  glorious  in  his  apparel,  traveling  in  the  greatness  of  his 
strength !  Wherefore  art  thou  red  in  thine  apparel,  and  thy 
garments  like  him  that  treadeth  the  winepress?  "  and  I  have 
thought  that  I  heard  the  answer :  "  I,  that  speak  in  righteous- 
ness, mighty  to  save !  I  will  tread  them  in  mine  anger,  and 
trample  them  in  my  fury,  and  their  blood  shall  be  sprinkled 
upon  my  garments,  and  I  will  stain  all  my  raiment;  for  the 
day  of  vengeance  is  in  mine  heart,  and  the  year  of  my  re- 
deemed is  come !  " 

Then,  when  the  impulse  passed  away,  my  eyes  have  turned 
into  fountains  of  tears,  and  I  have  wept  until  morning  came, 
and  the  sounds  of  the  world  called  back  its  recollections ;  and 
for  the  sacred  hills  and  valleys  that  I  had  imagined  in  the 
darkness  I  saw  only  the  roofs  of  some  melancholy  city,  in 
which  I  was  a  forlorn  fugitive;  or  a  wilderness,  with  but  the 
burning  sands  and  the  robber  before  me;  or  found  myself 

8 


Salatbiel  2>oome&  to  IFmmortalltg 


tossing  on  the  ocean,  not  more  fruitless  than  my  heart,  nor 
more  restless  than  my  life,  nor  more  unfathomable  than  my 
wo.  Yet  to  the  last  will  I  hope  and  love.  0  Jerusalem, 
Jerusalem !  even  in  my  mirth,  if  I  forget  thee ! 

But  those  were  the  thoughts  of  after-times.  On  that  mem- 
orable and  dreadful  day  I  had  no  perception  but  of  some 
undefmable  fate  which  was  to  banish  me  from  mankind.  I 
at  length  forced  iny  way  through  the  pressure  at  the  gate, 
turned  to  none  of  the  kinsmen  who  called  to  me  as  I  passed 
their  chariots  and  horses,  overthrew  with  desperate  and  sud- 
den strength  all  who  impeded  my  progress,  and  scarcely  felt 
the  ground  till  I  had  left  the  city  behind,  and  had  climbed, 
through  rocks  and  ruins,  the  mountain  that  rose  drearily  be- 
fore me,  like  a  barrier  shutting  out  the  living  world. 


CHAPTER  II 

(An  Weakening  and  a  Summons 

Saiatbtei'9  TERROR  had  exhausted  me;  and  throwing  myself  on  the 
ground,  under  the  shade  of  the  palm-trees  that  crowned  the 
summit  of  the  hill,  I  fell  into  an  almost  instant  slumber. 
But  it  was  unrefreshing  and  disturbed.  The  events  of  the 
day  again  came  before  me,  strangely  mingled  with  those  of 
my  past  life,  and  with  others  of  which  I  could  form  no  wa- 
king remembrance.  I  saw  myself  sometimes  debased  below 
man,  like  the  great  Assyrian  king,  driven  out  to  feed  upon 
the  herb  of  the  forest,  and  wandering  for  years  exposed  to  the 
scorching  sun  by  day  and  the  dews  that  sank  chilling  upon 
my  naked  frame  by  night ;  I  then  seemed  filled  with  super- 
natural power,  and  rose  on  wings  till  earth  was  diminished 
beneath  me,  and  I  felt  myself  fearfully  alone.  Still,  there 
was  one  predominant  sensation :  that  all  this  was  for  punish- 
ment, and  that  it  was  to  be  perpetual.  At  length,  in  one  of 
my  imaginary  flights,  I  found  myself  whirled  on  the  wind, 
like  a  swimmer  down  a  cataract,  in  helpless  terror  into  the 
bosom  of  a  thunder-cloud.  I  felt  the  weight  of  the  rolling 
vapors  round  me ;  I  saw  the  blaze ;  I  was  stunned  by  a  roar 
that  shook  the  firmament. 

My  eyes  suddenly  opened,  yet  my  dream  appeared  only  to 
be  realized  by  rny  waking.  Thick  clouds  of  heavy  and  heated 
vapor  were  rapidly  rolling  up  from  the  precipices  below ;  and 
at  intervals  a  sound  that  I  could  not  distinguish  from  distant 
thunder  burst  on  the  wind.  But  the  sun  was  bright,  and  the 
horizon  was  the  dazzling  blue  of  the  eastern  heaven.  As  my 
senses  slowly  returned,  for  I  felt  like  a  man  overpowered  with 
wine,  I  was  enabled  to  discover  where  I  was.  The  discovery 
itself  was  terror.  I  had  in  my  distraction  fled  to  the  moun- 
tain on  which  no  Jew  ever  looked  without  shame  and  sorrow 

10 


Bn  awakening  anO  a  Summons 


for  the  crimes  of  the  greatest  king  into  whose  nostrils  the  On  tbe  /Count 
Almighty  ever  poured  the  spirit  of  life,  but  which  a  Jewish  ° 
priest,  as  I  was,  could  not  touch  without  being  guilty  of  de- 
filement. I  sat  on  the  Mount  of  Corruption,2  so-called  from 
its  having  once  witnessed  the  idolatries  of  our  mighty  Solo- 
mon, when,  in  his  old  age,  he  gave  way  to  the  persuasions  of 
his  heathen  wives — that  irreparable  crime  for  which  the  king- 
dom was  rent,  and  the  strength  of  Israel  scattered.  I  saw  in 
the  hollows  of  the  hill  the  spaces,  still  bearing  the  marks  of 
burning,  and  barren  forever,  on  which  the  temples  of  Moloch, 
Chemosh,  and  Ashtaroth  had  stood  in  sight  of  the  House  of 
the  living  God.  The  very  palm-trees  under  which  I  had 
snatched  that  wild  and  bitter  sleep  were  the  remnant  of  the 
groves  in  which  the  foul  rites  of  the  goddesses  of  Phenicia 
and  Assyria  once  filled  the  air  with  midnight  abomination, 
and  horrid  yells  of  human  sacrifice,  almost  made  more  fearful 
by  the  roar  of  barbarian  revel,  the  wild  dissonance  of  timbrel 
and  horn,  the  bacchanalian  chorus  of  the  priesthood  and  peo- 
ple of  impurity. 

The  vapors  that  rose  hot  and  sickly  before  me  were  the 
smokes  from  the  fires  kindled  in  the  valley  of  Hinnom ;  where 
the  refuse  of  the  animals  slaughtered  for  the  use  of  the  city, 
and  the  other  pollutions  and  remnants  of  things  abominable  to 
the  Jew,  were  daily  burned.  The  sullen  and  perpetual  fires, 
the  deadly  fumes,  and  the  aspects  of  the  beings,  chiefly  pub- 
lic criminals,  who  were  employed  in  this  hideous  task,  gave 
the  idea  of  the  place  of  final  evil.  Our  prophets,  in  their 
threats  against  the  national  betrayers,  against  the  proud  and 
the  self-willed,  the  polluted  with  idols,  and  the  polluted  with 
that  still  darker  and  more  incurable  idolatry,  the  worship  of 
the  world,  pointed  to  the  valley  of  Hinnom !  The  Pharisee, 
when  he  denounced  the  unbelief  and  luxury  of  the  lordly  Sad- 
ducee,  pointed  to  the  valley  of  Hinnom !  All — the  Pharisee, 
the  Essene,  the  Sadducee,  in  the  haughty  spirit  that  forgot 
the  fallen  state  of  Jerusalem,  and  the  crimes  that  had  lowered  / 
her ;  the  hypocrite,  the  bigot,  and  the  skeptic,  alike  mad  with 
hopeless  revenge,  when  they  saw  the  Koman  cohorts  triumph- 
ing with  their  idolatrous  ensigns  through  the  paths  once  trod 

11 


Cbou  Gill  I  Come 


»  Call  by  the  holy,  or  were  driven  aside  by  the  torrent  of  cavalry, 
and  the  gilded  chariot  on  which  sat  some  insolent  proconsul 
fresh  from  Italy, — pointed  to  the  valley  of  Hinnom!  How 
often,  as  the  days  of  Jerusalem  hurried  toward  their  end  and 
by  some  fatality  the  violences  of  the  Roman  governors  be- 
came more  frequent  and  intolerable,  have  I  seen  the  groups  of 
my  countrymen,  hunted  into  some  byway  of  the  city  by  the 
hoofs  of  the  Roman  horse,  consuming  with  that  inward  wrath 
which  was  soon  to  flame  out  in  such  horrors,  flinging  up  their 
wild  hands,  as  if  to  upbraid  the  tardy  heavens,  gnashing  their 
teeth,  and  with  the  strong  contortions  of  the  Oriental  counte- 
nance, and  lip  scarcely  audible  from  the  force  of  its  own  con- 
vulsion, muttering  conspiracy.  Or,  in  despair  of  shaking  off 
that  chain  which  had  bound  the  whole  earth,  how  often  have 
I  seen  them  appealing  to  the  endless  future,  and  shrouding 
their  heads  in  their  cloaks,  like  sorcerers  summoning  up  (le- 
mons, each  with  his  quivering  hand  stretched  out  toward  the 
accursed  valley,  and  every  tongue  groaning  "  Hinnom !  " 

While  I  lay  upon  the  summit  of  the  mountain,  in  a  state 
which  gave  me  the  deepest  impression  of  the  parting  of  soul 
and  body,  I  was  startled  by  the  sound  of  a  trumpet.  It  was 
from  the  Temple,  which,  as  the  fires  below  sank  with  the 
growing  heat  of  the  day,  was  now  visible  to  me.  The  trum- 
pet was  the  signal  of  the  third  hour,  when  the  first  daily  sac- 
rifice was  to  be  offered.  It  was  the  week  of  the  class  of 
Abiah,  of  which  I  was,  and  this  day's  service  fell  to  me. 
Though  I  would  have  given  all  that  I  possessed  on  earth  to 
be  allowed  to  rest  upon  that  spot,  polluted  as  it  was,  and 
there  molder  away  into  the  dust  and  ashes  that  I  had  made 
my  bed,  I  dared  not  shrink  from  that  most  solemn  duty  of 
the  priesthood. 

I  rose,  but  it  was  not  until  after  many  efforts  that  I  was 
able  to  stand.  I  struggled  along  the  summit  of  the  ridge, 
holding  by  the  stems  of  the  palm-trees.  The  second  trumpet 
sounded  loudly,  and  was  reechoed  by  the  cliffs.  I  had  now 
no  time  for  delay,  and  was  about  to  spring  downward  toward 
a  path  which  wound  round  the  head  of  the  valley  and  beyond 
the  fires,  when  my  ears  were  again  arrested  by  the  peal  that 


Bwafcentng  an&  a  Summons 


had  disturbed  me  in  my  sleep,  and  my  glance,  which  com-     Saiatbfel 
manded  the  whole  circuit  of  the  hills  round  Jerusalem,  invol-     trt^ibome 
untarily  looked  for  the  thunder-cloud.     The  sky  was  without 
a  stain ;  but  the  eminences  toward  the  west,  on  whose  lovely 
slopes  of  vineyard,  rose,  and  orange  grove  my  eye  had  so  often 
reposed  as  on  a  vast  Tyrian  carpet  tissued  with  purple  and 
gold,  were  hung  with  gloom ;  a  huge  and  sullen  cloud  seemed 
to  be  gathering  over  the  heights,  and  flashes  and  gleams  of 
malignant  luster  burst  from  its  bosom.     The  cloud  deepened, 
and  the  distant  murmur  grew  louder  and  more  continued. 

I  hurried  to  the  city  gate.  To  my  astonishment,  I  found 
the  road,  that  I  had  left,  so  choked  up  with  the  multitude, 
almost  empty.  The  camels  stood  tethered  in  long  trains  under 
the  trees,  with  scarcely  an  owner.  The  tents  were  deserted 
except  by  children  and  the  few  old  persons  necessary  for 
their  care.  The  mules  and  horses  grazed  through  the  fields 
without  a  keeper.  I  saw  tents  full  of  the  animals  and  other 
offerings  that  the  tribes  brought  up  to  the  great  feast,  almost 
at  the  mercy  of  any  hand  that  would  take  them  away. 
Where  could  the  myriads  have  disappeared  which  had  cov- 
ered the  land  a  few  hours  before  to  the  horizon? 

The  city  was  still  more  a  subject  of  astonishment.  A  panic 
might  have  driven  away  the  concourse  of  strangers,  at  a  time 
when  the  violences  of  the  Roman  sword  had  given  every  Jew 
but  too  frequent  cause  for  the  most  sensitive  alarm.  But  all 
within  the  gate  was  equally  deserted.  The  streets  were  utter- 
ly stripped  of  the  regular  inhabitants.  The  Roman  sentinels 
were  almost  the  only  beings  whom  I  could  discover  in  my  pas- 
sage of  the  long  avenue,  from  the  foot  of  the  upper  city  to  the 
Mount  of  the  Temple.  All  this  was  favorable  to  my  extreme 
anxiety  to  escape  every  eye  of  my  countrymen ;  yet  I  can  not 
tell  with  what  a  throbbing  of  heart,  and  variety  of  feverish 
emotion,  I  at  length  reached  the  threshold  of  my  dwelling. 
Though  young,  I  was  a  husband  and  father.  What  might  not 
have  happened  since  the  sunset  of  the  evening  before?  for  my 
evil  doings — for  which  may  He,  with  whom  mercy  lies  at  the 
right  hand  and  judgment  at  the  left,  have  mercy  on  me — had 
fatally  occupied  the  night.  I  listened  at  the  door,  with  my 

13 


Carrg  Gbou  £111  1F  Come 


Saiatbiel  heart  upon  iny  lips.  T  dared  not  open  it.  My  suspense  was 
at  length  relieved  by  my  wife's  voice;  she  was  weeping.  I 
£e^j  on  mv  kneeSj  an(j  thanked  Heaven  that  she  was  alive. 

But  my  infant!  I  thought  of  the  sword  that  smote  the 
first-born  in  the  land  of  bondage,  and  felt  that  Jutlah,  guilty 
as  Egypt,  might  well  dread  its  punishment.  Was  it  for  my 
first-born  that  the  sobs  of  its  angel  mother  had  arisen  in  her 
loneliness?  Another  pause  of  bitter  suspense — and  I  heard 
the  laugh  of  my  babe  as  it  awoke  in  her  arms.  The  first 
human  sensation  that  I  had  felt  for  so  many  hours  was 
almost  overpowering ;  and  without  regarding  the  squalidness 
of  my  dress,  and  the  look  of  famine  and  fatigue  that  must 
have  betrayed  where  I  had  been,  I  should  have  rushed  into 
the  chamber.  But  at  that  moment  the  third  trumpet  sounded. 
I  had  now  no  time  for  the  things  of  this  world.  I  plunged 
into  the  bath,  cleansed  myself  from  the  pollution  of  the  moun- 
tain, hastily  girt  on  me  the  sacerdotal  tunic  and  girdle ;  and 
with  the  sacred  fillet  on  my  burning  brow,  and  the  censer  in 
my  shaking  hand,  passed  through  the  cloisters  and  took  my 
place  before  the  altar. 


CHAPTER  HI 

Salathiel's  Resolution  in  the  Temple 

OF  all  the  labors  of  human  wealth  and  power  devoted  to  »efore  tbe 
worship,  the  Temple  within  whose  courts  I  then  stood  was  the 
most  mighty.  In  the  years  of  my  unhappy  wanderings,  far 
from  the  graves  of  my  kindred,  I  have  seen  all  the  most  fa- 
mous shrines  of  the  great  kingdoms  of  idolatry.  Constrained 
by  cruel  circumstance,  and  the  still  sterner  cruelty  of  man,  I 
have  stood  before  the  altar  of  the  Ephesian  Diana,  the  master- 
piece of  Ionian  splendor ;  I  have  strayed  through  the  woods 
of  Delphi,  and  been  made  a  reluctant  witness  of  the  superb 
mysteries  of  that  chief  of  the  oracles  of  imposture.  Dragged 
in  chains,  I  have  been  forced  to  join  the  procession  round  the 
Minerva  of  the  Acropolis,  and  almost  forgot  my  chains  in 
wonder  at  that  monument  of  a  genius  which  ought  to  have 
been  consecrated  only  to  the  true  God,  by  whom  it  was  given. 
The  temple  of  the  Capitoline  Jove,  the  Sancta  Sophia  of  the 
Rome  of  Constantine,  the  still  more  stupendous  fabric  in 
which  the  third  Kome  still  bows  before  the  fisherman  of  Gali- 
lee— all  have  been  known  to  my  step,  that  knows  all  things 
but  rest ;  but  all  were  dreams  and  shadows  to  the  grandeur, 
the  dazzling  beauty,  the  almost  unearthly  glory,  of  that  Tem- 
ple which  once  covered  the  "  Mount  of  Vision  "  of  the  City  of 
JEHOVAH. 

At  the  distance  of  almost  two  thousand  years,  I  have  its 
image  on  my  mind's  eye  with  living  and  painful  fulness.  I 
see  the  court  of  the  Gentiles  circling  the  whole ;  a  fortress  of 
the  purest  marble,  with  its  wall  rising  six  hundred  feet  from 
the  valley ;  its  kingly  entrance,  worthy  of  the  fame  of  Solo- 
mon; its  innumerable  and  stately  buildings  for  the  priests 
and  officers  of  the  Temple,  and  above  them,  glittering  like  a 
succession  of  diadems,  those  alabaster  porticoes  and  colon- 

15 


Carrv;  Cbou  Ctll  U  Come 


»n  nades  in  which  the  chiefs  and  sages  of  Jerusalem  sat  teaching 
the  people,  or  walked,  breathing  the  pure  air,  and  gazing  on 
the  grandeur  of  a  landscape  which  swept  the  whole  amphi- 
theater of  the  mountains.  I  see,  rising  above  this  stupendous 
boundary,  the  court  of  the  Jewish  women  separated  by  its 
porphyry  pillars  and  richly  sculptured  wall ;  above  this,  the 
separated  court  of  the  men;  still  higher,  the  court  of  the 
priests ;  and  highest,  the  crowning  splendor  of  all,  the  central 
TEMPLE,3  the  place  of  the  Sanctuary  and  of  the  Holy  of 
Holies,  covered  with  plates  of  gold,  its  roof  planted  with 
lofty  spear-heads  of  gold,  the  most  precious  marbles  and 
metals  everywhere  flashing  back  the  day,  till  Mount  Moriah 
stood  forth  to  the  eye  of  the  stranger  approaching  Jerusalem 
what  it  had  been  so  often  described  by  its  bards  and  people, 
"  a  mountain  of  snow  studded  with  jewels." 

The  grandeur  of  the  worship  was  worthy  of  this  glory  of 
architecture.  Four-and-twenty  thousand  Levites  ministered 
by  turns  —a  thousand  at  a  time.  Four  thousand  more  per- 
formed the  lower  offices.  Four  thousand  singers  and  min- 
strels, with  the  harp,  the  trumpet,  and  all  the  richest  instru- 
ments of  a  land  whose  native  genius  was  music,  and  whose 
climate  and  landscape  led  men  instinctively  to  delight  in  the 
charm  of  sound,  chanted  the  inspired  songs  of  our  warrior 
king,  and  filled  up  the  pauses  of  prayer  with  harmonies  that 
transported  the  spirit  beyond  the  cares  and  passions  of  a 
troubled  world. 

I  was  standing  before  the  altar  of  burnt-offerings,  with  the 
Levite  at  my  side  holding  the  lamb ;  the  cup  was  in  my  hand, 
and  I  was  about  to  pour  the  wine  on  the  victim,  when  I  was 
startled  by  the  sound  of  hurried  feet.  In  another  moment  the 
gate  of  the  court  was  abruptly  thrown  back,  and  a  figure  rushed 
in;  it  was  the  High  Priest,4  but  not  in  the  robes  of  ceremony 
which  it  was  customary  for  him  to  wear  in  the  seasons  of  the 
greater  festivals.  He  was  covered  with  the  common  vesture 
of  the  priesthood,  and  was  evidently  anxious  to  use  it  for  total 
concealment.  His  face  was  buried  in  the  folds  of  his  cloak, 
and  he  walked  with  blind  precipitation  toward  the  sanctuary. 
But  he  had  scarcely  reached  it  when  a  new  feeling  stopped 

16 


Salatbiel's  IResolution  In  tbe  temple 


him,  and  lie  turned  to  the  altar,  where  I  was  standing  in  Ube  ttlab 
mute  surprise.  The  cloak  fell  from  his  visage ;  it  was  pale 
as  death;  the  habitual  sternness  of  feature  which  rendered 
him  a  terror  to  the  people  had  collapsed  into  feebleness ;  and 
while  he  gazed  on  the  flame,  I  thought  I  saw  the  glistening 
of  a  tear  011  a  cheek  that  had  never  exhibited  human  emotion 
before.  But  110  time  was  left  for  question,  even  if  reverence 
had  not  restrained  me.  He  suddenly  grasped  the  head  of  the 
lamb,  as  was  customary  for  those  who  offered  up  an  expiation 
for  their  own  sins ;  his  lip,  ashy  white,  quivered  with  broken 
prayer ;  then,  snatching  the  knife  from  the  Levite,  he  plunged 
it  into  the  animal's  throat,  and  with  his  hands  covered  with 
blood,  and  with  a  groan  that  sounded  despair,  again  rushed 
distractedly  to  the  porch  of  the  Holy  House,  flung  aside  in 
fierce  irreverence  the  veil  of  the  sanctuary,  and  darted  in. 

There  was  a  subterranean  passage  from  the  interior  of  the 
sanctuary  to  the  High  Priest's  cloister,  through  which  I  con- 
ceived that  he  had  gone.  But,  on  passing  near  the  porch,  at 
the  close  of  the  sacrifice,  I  heard  a  cry  of  agony  from  within 
that  penetrated  my  soul. 

I  had  never  loved  the  head  of  our  priesthood.  He  was  a 
haughty  and  hard-hearted  man ;  insolent  in  his  office,  which 
he  had  obtained  by  no  unsuspicious  means,  and  a  ready  tool 
alike  of  the  popular  caprice  and  of  the  tyranny  of  our  foreign 
masters.  But  he  was  a  man;  was  a  man  of  my  own  order; 
and  was  it  for  one  like  me  to  triumph  over  even  the  most 
abject  criminal  of  earth?  I  ascended  the  steps  of  the  porch, 
and,  with  a  sinking  heart  and  trembling  hand,  entered  the 
sanctuary. 

But — what  I  saw  there  I  have  no  power  to  tell!  To  this 
moment  the  recollection  overwhelms  my  senses.  Words 
were  not  made  to  utter  it.  The  ear  of  man  was  not  made  to 
hear  it.  Before  me  moved  things  mightier  than  of  mortal . 
vision,  thronging  shapes  of  terror,  mysterious  grandeurs, 
essential  power,  embodied  prophecy!  The  Veil  was  rent  in 
twain !  How  could  man  behold  and  live !  When  I  lifted  my 
face  from  the  ground  again,  I  saw  but  the  High  Priest.  He 
was  kneeling,  with  his  hands  clasped  upon  his  eyes ;  his  lips 

2  17 


Cbou  Gill  11  Come 


strained  wide,  as  if  laboring  to  utter  a  voice ;  and  his  whole 
frame  rigid  and  cold  as  a  corpse.  I  vainly  spoke,  and  at- 
tempted to  rouse  him;  terror,  or  more  than  terror,  had  be- 
numbed his  powers ;  and,  unwilling  to  suffer  him  to  be  seen 
in  this  extremity,  I  bore  him  in  my  arms  to  the  subterranean. 

But  a  tumult,  of  which  I  could  scarcely  conjecture  the 
cause,  checked  me.  The  trampling  of  multitudes,  and  cries 
of  fury  and  fear,  echoed  round  the  Temple ;  and  in  the  sudden 
apprehension,  the  first  and  most  fearful  to  the  priest  of  Judah, 
that  the  Romans  were  about  to  commence  their  often-threat- 
ened plunder,  I  laid  down  my  unhappy  burden  beside  the 
door  of  the  passage  and  returned  to  defend,  or  die  with,  our 
perishing  glory.  The  sanctuary  in  which  I  stood  was  wholly 
lighted  by  the  lamps  round  its  walls.  But  when,  at  length, 
unable  to  suppress  my  alarm  at  the  growing  uproar,  I  went 
to  the  porch,  I  left  comparative  day  behind  me;  a  gloom 
deeper  than  that  of  tempest  and  sicklier  than  that  of  smoke 
overspread  the  sky.  The  sun,  which  I  had  seen  like  a  fiery 
buckler  hanging  over  the  city,  was  utterly  gone  Even  while 
I  looked  the  darkness  deepened,  and  the  blackness  of  night, 
of  night  without  a  star,  fell  far  and  fearful  upon  the  horizon. 

It  has  been  my  fate,  and  an  intense  part  of  my  punishment, 
always  to  conceive  that  the  calamities  of  nature  and  nations 
were  connected  with  my  crime.6  I  have  tried  to  reason  away 
this  impression,  but  it  has  clung  to  me  like  an  iron  chain ; 
nothing  could  tear  it  away  that  left  the  life ;  I  have  felt  it 
hanging  over  my  brain  with  the  weight  of  a  thunder-cloud. 
As  I  glanced  into  the  gloom,  the  thought  smote  me  that  it 
was  I  who  had  brought  this  Egyptian  plague,  this  horrid 
privation  of  the  first  element  of  life,  upon  my  country,  per- 
haps upon  the  world,  perhaps  never  to  be  relieved;  for  it 
came  condensing,  depth  on  depth,  till  it  seemed  to  have  ex- 
cluded all  possibility  of  the  existence  of  light;  it  was,  like 
that  of  our  old  oppressors,  darkness  that  might  be  felt,  the 
darkness  of  a  universal  grave. 

I  formed  my  fierce  determination  at  once,  and  resolved  to 
fly  from  my  priesthood,  from  my  kindred,  from  my  country ; 
to  linger  out  my  days— my  bitter,  banished  days — in  some 

18 


SalatbiePs  IResolutfon  in  tbe  Gemple 


wilderness,  where  iny  presence  would  not  be  a  curse,  where  in  tbe  /ttfcst 

but  the  lion  and  the  tiger  should  be  my  fellow  dwellers,  where 

the  sands  could  not  be  made  the  more  barren  for  my  fatal 

tread,  nor  the  fountains  more  bitter  for  my  desperate  and 

eternal  tears.     The  singular  presence  of  mind  found  in  some 

men  in  the  midst  of  universal  perturbation— one  of  the  most 

effective  qualities  of  our  nature,  and  attributed  to  the  highest 

vigor  of  heart  and  understanding— is  not  always  deserving  of 

such  proud  parentage.     It  is  sometimes  the  child  of  mere 

brute  ignorance  of  danger,  sometimes  of  habitual  ferocity ;  in 

my  instance  it  was  that  of  madness— the  fierce  energy  that 

leads  the  maniac  safe  over  roofs  and  battlements.     All  in  the 

Temple  was  confusion.     The  priests  lay  flung  at  the  feet  of 

the  altar ;  or,  clinging  together  in  groups  of  helplessness  and 

dismay,  waited  speechless  for  the  ruin  that  was  to  visit  them 

in  this  unnatural  night.     I  walked  through  all,  without  a  fear 

or  a  hope  under  heaven. 

Through  the  solid  gloom,  and  among  heaps  of  men  and 
sacred  things  cast  under  my  feet,  like  the  spoil  of  some 
stormed  camp,  I  made  my  way  to  my  dwelling,  direct  and 
unimpeded,  as  if  I  walked  in  the  light  of  day.  I  found  my 
wife  in  deeper  terror  at  my  long  absence  than  even  at  the 
darkness.  She  sprang  forward  at  my  voice,  and,  falling  on 
my  neck,  shed  the  tears  of  joy  and  love.  But  few  words 
passed  between  us,  for  but  few  were  necessary,  to  bid  her 
with  her  babe  to  follow  me.  She  would  have  followed  me  to 
the  ends  of  the  earth. 

0  Miriam,  Miriam!  how  often  have  I  thought  of  thee,  in 
my  long  pilgrimage !  How  often,  like  that  of  a  spirit  descended 
to  minister  consolation  to  the  wanderer,  have  I  seen,  in  my 
midnight  watching,  thy  countenance  of  more  than  woman's 
beauty!  To  me  thou  hast  never  died.  Thy  more  than  man's 
lof tiness  of  soul ;  thy  generous  fidelity  of  love  to  a  wayward 
and  unhappy  heart ;  thy  patient  treading  with  me  along  the 
path  that  I  had  sowed  with  the  thorn  and  thistle  for  thy  feet, 
but  which  should  have  been  covered  with  the  wealth  of 
princes,  to  be  worthy  of  thy  loveliness  and  thy  virtue — all  rise 
in  memory,  and  condemnation,  before  the  chief  of  sinners. 

19 


vlbou  {Till  11  Come 


Saiatbici  anj>  Age  after  age  have  I  traveled  to  thy  lonely  grave ;  age  after 
age  have  I  wept  and  prayed  upon  the  dust  that  was  once  per- 
fection. In  all  the  hardness  forced  upon  me  by  a  stern  world  ; 
in  all  the  hatred  of  mankind  that  the  insolence  of  the  ba'-ba- 
rian  and  the  persecutor  has  bound  round  my  bosom  like  a  i  .ail 
of  iron,  I  have  preserved  one  source  of  feeling  sacred — a  soli- 
tary fount  to  feed  the  little  vegetation  of  a  withered  heart :  the 
love  of  thee;  perhaps  to  be  a  sign  of  that  regenerate  time 
when  the  curse  shall  be  withdrawn ;  perhaps  to  be  in  mercy 
the  source  from  which  that  more  than  desert,  thy  husband's 
soul,  shall  be  refreshed,  and  the  barrenness  flourish  with  the 
flowers  of  the  paradise  of  God ! 

Throwing  off  my  robe  of  priesthood,  as  I  then  thought, 
forever,  I  went  forth,  followed  by  my  heroic  wife  and  bear- 
ing my  child  in  my  arms.  I  had  left  behind  me  sumptu- 
ous things,  wealth  transmitted  from  a  long  line  of  illus- 
trious ancestry.  I  cared  not  for  them.  Wealth  a  thousand 
times  more  precious  was  within  my  embrace.  Yet,  when 
I  touched  the  threshold,  the  last  sensation  of  divorce  from 
all  that  I  had  been  came  over  my  mind.  My  wife  felt  the 
trembling  of  my  frame,  and,  with  a  gentle  firmness  which 
in  the  hour  of  trouble  often  exalts  the  fortitude  of  woman 
above  the  headlong  and  inflamed  courage  of  the  warrior,  she 
bade  me  be  of  good  cheer.  I  felt  her  lips  on  my  hand  at  the 
moment — the  touch  gave  new  energy  to  my  whole  being — and 
I  bounded  forward  into  the  ocean  of  darkness. 

Without  impediment  or  error,  I  made  my  way  over  and 
among  the  crowds  that  strewed  the  court  of  the  Gentiles.  I 
heard  many  a  prayer  and  many  a  groan ;  but  I  had  now  no 
more  to  do  with  man,  and  forced  my  way  steadily  to  the  great 
portal.  Thus  far,  if  I  had  been  stricken  with  utter  blindness, 
I  could  not  have  been  less  guided  by  the  eye.  But,  on  pass- 
ing into  the  streets  of  the  lower  city,  a  scattered  torch,  from 
time  to  time,  struggling  through  the  darkness,  like  the  lamp 
in  a  sepulcher,  gave  me  glimpses  of  the  scene.  The  broad 
avenue  was  encumbered  with  the  living,  in  the  semblance  of 
the  dead.  All  were  prostrated  or  were  in  those  attitudes  into 
which  men  are  thrown  by  terror  beyond  the  strength  or  spirit 

30 


"  All  in  the  Temple  was  confusion." 


[see  page  iq. 


>  .  ami  I>mdnn. 


above  Tfl 
bad»'  UN- 
moment 
I  bouod« 


Copyright,  1901,  by  Funk  &  Wagnalla  Company,  N.  Y.  and  London 


Salatbiel's  IResolution  in  tbe  temple 


of  man  to  resist.  The  cloud  that,  from  my  melancholy  bed  m  Scene 
above  the  valley  of  Hinnom,  I  had  seen  rolling  up  the  hills, 
was  this  multitude.  A  spectacle  had  drawn  them  all  by  a 
cruel,  a  frantic,  curiosity  out  of  Jerusalem,  and  left  it  the 
solitude  that  had  surprised  me.  Preternatural  eclipse  and 
horror  fell  on  them,  and  their  thousands  madly  rushed  back 
to  perish,  if  perish  they  must,  within  the  walls  of  the  City  of 
Holiness.  Still  the  multitude  came  pouring  in ;  their  distant 
trampling  had  the  sound  of  a  cataract,  and  their  outcries  of 
pain,  and  rage,  and  terror  were  like  what  I  have  since  heard, 
but  more  feebly,  sent  up  from  the  field  of  battle. 

I  struggled  on,  avoiding  the  living  torrent,  and  slowly 
treading  my  way  wherever  I  heard  the  voices  least  numer- 
ous ;  but  my  task  was  one  of  extreme  toil,  and  but  for  those 
more  than  the  treasures  of  the  earth  to  me,  whose  lives 
depended  on  my  efforts,  I  should  willingly  have  lain  down 
and  suffered  the  multitude  to  trample  me  into  the  grave. 
How  long  I  thus  struggled  I  know  not.  But  a  yell  of  pecul- 
iar and  universal  terror  that  burst  round  me  made  me  turn 
my  reluctant  eyes  toward  Jerusalem.  The  cause  of  this  new 
alarm  was  seen  at  once. 

A  large  sphere  of  fire  fiercely  shot  through  the  heavens, 
lighting  its  track  down  the  murky  air,  and  casting  a  disas- 
trous and  pallid  illumination  on  the  myriads  of  gazers  below. 
It  stopped  above  the  city  and  exploded  in  thunder,  flashing 
over  the  whole  horizon,  but  covering  the  Temple  with  a  blaze 
which  gave  it  the  aspect  of  a  huge  mass  of  metal  glowing  in 
the  furnace.  Every  outline  of  the  architecture,  every  pillar, 
every  pinnacle,  was  seen  with  a  livid  and  terrible  distinctness. 
Again,  all  vanished.  I  heard  the  hollow  roar  of  an  earth- 
quake ;  the  ground  rose  and  heaved  under  our  feet.  I  heard 
the  crash  of  buildings,  the  fall  of  fragments  of  the  hills,  and, 
louder  than  both,  the  groan  of  the  multitude.  I  caught  my 
wife  and  child  closer  to  my  bosom.  In  the  next  moment  I 
felt  the  ground  give  way  beneath  me,  a  sulfurous  vapor  took 
away  my  breath,  and  I  was  swept  into  the  air  in  a  whirlwind 
of  dust  and  ashes ! 


21 


CHAPTER  IV 

Salathiel  Journeys  Far  from  Jerusalem 

Saiatbiei  WHEN  I  recovered  my  senses,  all  was  so  much  changed 
consciousness  round  me  that  I  could  scarcely  be  persuaded  that  either  the 
past  or  the  present  was  not  a  dream.  I  had  no  consciousness 
of  any  interval  between  them,  more  than  that  of  having  closed 
my  eyes  at  one  instant,  to  open  them  at  the  next.  Yet  the 
curtains  of  a  tent  waved  round  me,  in  a  breeze  fragrant  with 
the  breath  of  roses  and  balsam-trees.  Beyond  the  gardens 
and  meadows,  from  which  those  odors  sprang,  a  river  shone, 
like  a  path  of  lapis  lazuli,  in  the  calm  effulgence  of  the  west- 
ern sun.  Tents  were  pitched,  from  which  I  heard  the  sounds 
of  pastoral  instruments;  camels  were  drinking  and  grazing 
along  the  riverside;  and  turbaned  men  and  maidens  were 
ranging  over  the  fields,  or  sitting  on  the  banks  to  enjoy  the 
cool  of  the  delicious  evening. 

While  I  tried  to  collect  my  senses  and  discover  whether 
this  was  more  than  one  of  those  sports  of  a  wayward  fancy 
which  tantalize  the  bed  of  the  sick  mind,  I  heard  a  low  hymn, 
and  listened  to  the  sounds  with  breathless  anxiety.  The  voice 
I  knew  at  once — it  was  Miriam's.  But  in  the  disorder  of  my 
brain,  and  the  strange  circumstances  which  had  filled  the  lat- 
ter days,  in  that  total  feebleness  too  in  which  I  could  not  move 
a  limb  or  utter  a  word,  a  persuasion  seized  me  that  I  was 
already  beyond  the  final  boundary  of  mortals.  All  before  me 
was  like  that  paradise  from  which  the  crime  of  our  great  fore- 
father had  driven  man  into  banishment.  I  remembered  the 
convulsion  of  the  earth  in  which  I  had  sunk,  and  asked  my- 
self, Could  man  be  wrapped  in  flame  and  the  whirlwind  that 
tore  up  mountains  like  the  roots  of  flowers,  and  yet  live? 

In  this  perplexity  I  closed  my  eyes  to  collect  my  thoughts, 
and  probably  exhibited  some  strong  emotion  of  countenance, 

22 


Salatbiel  Sourness  jfar  from  Jerusalem 

for  I  was  roused  by  a  cry :  "  He  lives !    He  lives !  "    I  looked   »nt>  learns 

up — Miriam  stood  before  me,  clasping  her  lovely  hands  with  ° 

the  wildness  of   joy  unspeakable,  and   shedding  tears  that, 

large  and  lustrous,  fell  down  her  glowing  cheeks   like  dew 

upon  the  pomegranate.     She  threw  herself  upon  my  pillow, 

kissed  my  forehead  with  lips  that  breathed  new  life  into  me ; 

then,  pressing  my  chill  hand  between  hers,  knelt  down  and 

with  a  look  worthy  of  that  heaven  on  which  it  was  fixed, 

radiant  with  beauty,  and  holiness,  and  joy  as  the  face  of  an 

angel,  offered  up  her  thanksgiving. 

The  explanation  of  the  scene  that  perplexed  me  was  given 
in  a  few  words,  interrupted  only  by  tears  and  sighs  of  delight. 
With  the  burst  of  the  earthquake  the  supernatural  darkness 
had  cleared  away.  I  was  flung  under  the  shelter  of  one  of 
those  caves  which  abound  in  the  gorges  of  the  mountains 
round  Jerusalem.  Miriam  and  her  infant  were  flung  by  my 
side,  yet  unhurt.  While  I  lay  insensible  in  her  arms,  she, 
by  singular  good  fortune,  found  herself  surrounded  by  a  troop 
of  our  kinsmen  returning  from  the  city,  where  terror  had 
suffered  but  few  to  remain.  They  placed  her  and  her  infant 
on  their  camels.  Me  they  would  have  consigned  to  the 
sepulcher  of  the  priests ;  but  Miriam  was  not  to  be  shaken 
in  her  purpose  to  watch  over  me  until  all  hope  was  gone.  I 
was  thus  carried  along — and  they  were  now  three  days  on 
their  journey  homeward.  The  landscape  before  me  was 
Samaria. 

My  natural  destination  would  have  been  the  cities  of  the 
priests '  which  lay  to  the  south,  bordering  upon  Hebron.  In 
those  thirteen  opulent  and  noble  residences  allotted  to  the 
higher  ministry  of  the  Temple,  they  enjoyed  all  that  could 
be  offered  by  the  munificent  wisdom  of  the  state — wealth 
that  raised  them  above  the  pressures  of  life,  yet  not  so  great 
as  to  extinguish  the  desire  of  intellectual  distinction  or  the 
love  of  the  loftier  virtues.  The  means  of  mental  cultivation 
were  provided  for  them  with  more  than  royal  liberality. 
Copies  of  the  sacred  books,  multiplied  in  every  form,  and 
adorned  with  the  finest  skill  of  the  pencil  and  the  sculptor 
in  gold  and  other  precious  materials,  attested  at  once  the 

23 


Carrg  Cbou  GUI  1  Come 


be  power  reverence  of  the  nation  for  its  law,  and  the  perfection  to 
which  it  had  brought  the  decorative  arts.  The  works  of 
strangers  eminent  for  genius  or  knowledge,  or  even  for  the 
singularity  of  their  subject,  were  not  less  to  be  found  in  those 
stately  treasure-houses  of  mind.  There  the  priest  might  relax 
his  spirit  from  the  sublimer  studies  of  his  country  by  the 
bold  and  brilliant  epics  of  Greece,  the  fantastic  passion  and 
figured  beauty  of  the  Persian  poesy,  or  the  alternate  severity 
and  sweetness  of  the  Indian  drama— that  startling  union  of 
all  lovely  images  of  nature,  the  bloom  and  fragrance  of  flow- 
ers, the  hues  of  the  Oriental  heaven,  and  the  perfumes  of 
isles  of  spice  and  cinnamon,  with  the  grim  and  subterranean 
terrors  of  a  gigantic  idolatry.  There  he  might  spread  the 
philosophic  wing  from  the  glittering  creations  of  Grecian 
metaphysics,  to  their  dark  and  early  oracles  in  the  East ;  or, 
stopping  in  his  central  flight,  plunge  into  the  profound  of 
Egyptian  mystery,  where  science  lies,  like  the  mummy, 
wrapped  in  a  thousand  folds  that  preserve  the  form,  but  pre- 
serve it  with  the  living  principle  gone. 

Music,  of  all  pleasures  the  most  intellectual,  that  glorious 
painting  to  the  ear,  that  rich  mastery  of  the  gloomier  emo- 
tions of  our  nature,  was  studied  by  the  priesthood  with  a 
skill  that  influenced  the  habits  of  the  country.  How  often 
have  my  fiercest  perturbations  sunk  at  the  sounds  that  once 
filled  the  breezes  of  Judea!  How  often,  when  my  brain  was 
burning  and  the  blood  ran  through  my  veins  like  molten 
brass,  have  I  been  softened  down  to  painless  tears  by  the 
chorus  from  our  hills,  the  mellow  harmonies  of  harp  and 
horn  blending  with  the  voices  of  the  youths  and  maidens  of 
Israel !  How  often  have  I  in  the  night  listened,  while  the 
chant,  ascending  with  a  native  richness  to  which  the  skill  of 
other  nations  was  dissonance,  floated  upward  like  a  cloud  of 
incense,  bearing  the  aspirations  of  holiness  and  gratitude  to 
the  throne  of  Him  whom  man  hath  not  seen  nor  can  see ! 

But  those  times  are  sunk  deep  in  the  great  gulf  that  ab- 
sorbs the  happiness  and  genius  of  man.  I  have  since  trav- 
ersed my  country  in  its  length  and  breadth ;  I  have  marked 
with  my  weary  feet  every  valley,  and  made  my  restless  bed 

24 


Salatbiel  Journeys  ffar  from  Jerusalem 

upon  every  hill  from  Idumea  to  Lebanon,  and  from  the  As-  Ube  <5ior\>  of 
Syrian  sands  to  the  waters  of  the  Mediterranean ;  yet  the  harp 
and  voice  were  dead.  I  heard  sounds  on  the  hills,  but  they 
were  the  cries  of  the  villagers  flying  before  some  tyrant  gath- 
erer of  a  tyrant's  tribute.  I  heard  sounds  in  the  midnight, 
but  they  were  the  howl  of  the  wolf  and  the  yell  of  the 
hyena  reveling  over  the  naked  and  dishonored  graves,  which 
the  infidel  had  given,  in  his  scorn,  to  the  people  of  my  fathers. 

But  the  study  to  which  the  largest  expenditure  of  wealth 
and  labor  was  devoted  was,  as  it  ought  to  be,  that  of  the 
sacred  books  of  Israel.  It  only  makes  me  rebellious  against  / 
the  decrees  of  fate  to  think  of  the  incomparable  richness  and 
immaculate  character  of  the  volumes  over  which  I  have  so 
often  hung,  and  look  upon  the  diminished  and  degraded  ex- 
terior in  which  their  wisdom  now  lies  before  man.  Where 
are  now  the  cases  covered  with  jewels,  the  clasps  of  topaz  and 
diamond;  the  golden  arks  in  which  the  volume  of  the  hope 
of  Israel  lay,  too  precious  not  to  be  humiliated  by  the  contact 
with  even  the  richest  treasure  of  earth?  Where  are  the  tis- 
sued curtains,  which  hid,  as  in  a  sanctuary,  that  mighty  roll, 
too  sacred  to  be  glanced  on  by  the  casual  eye?  But,  the 
spoiler — the  spoiler!  The  Arab,  the  Parthian,  the  human 
tiger  of  the  north,  that  lies  crouching  for  a  thousand  years  in 
the  sheepfold  of  Judah!  Is  there  not  a  sword?  Is  there  not 
a  judgment?  Terribly  will  it  judge  the  oppressor. 

The  home  of  my  kinsmen  was  in  the  allotment  of  Naphtali. 
The  original  tribe  had  revolted  in  the  general  schism  of  the 
kingdoms  of  Judah  and  Israel,  and  was  swept  into  the  As- 
syrian captivity.  But  on  the  restoration  by  Cyrus,  fragments 
of  all  the  captive  tribes  returned  and  were  suffered  to  resume 
their  lands.  Misfortune  wrought  its  moral  on  them ;  the  chief 
families  pledged  their  allegiance  once  more  to  Judah,  and 
were  exemplary  in  paying  homage  to  the  spirit  and  ordinances 
of  their  religion. 

We  hastened  through  Samaria.  The  rancorous  enmity 
borne  by  the  Samaritans  to  the  subjects  of  Judah,  for  ages 
made  all  intercourse  between  Jerusalem  and  the  north  diffi- 
cult. It  was  often  totally  interrupted  by  war ;  it  was  dan- 

25 


Carrg  Cbou  Gill  t  Come 


Cbc  Biertnesa  gerous  in  peace,  and  the  ferocious  character  of  the  popula- 
n  tion  and  the  bitter  antipathy  of  the  government  made  it  to 
the  Jew  a  land  of  robbers.7  But  among  the  evils  of  the 
Roman  conquest  was  mingled  this  good,  that  it  suffered  no 
subordinate  tyranny.  Its  sword  cut  away  at  a  blow  all  those 
minor  oppressions  which  make  the  misery  of  provincial  life. 
If  the  mountain  robber  invaded  the  plain,  as  was  his  custom 
of  old,  the  Roman  cavalry  were  instantly  on  him  with  the 
spear,  until  he  took  refuge  in  the  mountains ;  if  he  resisted 
in  his  native  fastnesses,  the  legionaries  pursued  him  with 
torch  and  sword,  stifled  him  if  he  remained  in  his  cave,  or 
stabbed  him  at  its  entrance.  If  quarrels  arose  between  vil- 
lages, the  cohorts  burned  them  to  the  ground;  and  the  execu- 
tion was  done  with  a  promptitude  and  completeness  that  less 
resembled  the  ordinary  operations  of  war  than  the  work  of 
superhuman  power.  The  Roman  knowledge  of  our  disturb- 
ances was  instantaneous.  Signals  established  on  the  hills 
conveyed  intelligence  with  the  speed  of  light,  from  the  remot- 
est corners  of  the  land  to  their  principal  stations.  Even  in 
our  subsequent  conspiracies,  the  first  knowledge  that  they 
had  broken  out  was  often  conveyed  to  their  partizans  in  the 
next  district  by  the  movement  of  the  Roman  troops.  Well 
had  they  chosen  the  eagle  for  their  ensign.  They  rushed  with 
the  eagle's  rapidity  on  their  victim ;  and  when  it  was  stretched 
in  blood  they  left  the  spot  of  vengeance,  as  if  they  had  left 
it  on  the  wing.  Their  advance  had  the  rapidity  of  the  most 
hurried  retreat  and  the  steadiness  of  the  most  secure  tri- 
umph. Their  retreat  left  nothing  behind  but  the  marks  of 
their  irresistible  power. 

All  the  armies  of  the  earth  have  since  passed  before  me. 
I  have  seen  the  equals  of  the  legions  in  courage  and  discipline, 
and  their  superiors  in  those  arms  by  which  human  life  is  at 
the  caprice  of  ambition.  But  their  equals  I  have  never  seen, 
in  the  individual  fitness  of  the  soldier  for  war ;  in  his  fleet- 
ness,  muscular  vigor,  and  expertness  in  the  use  of  his 
weapons;  in  hi*  quick  adaptation  to  all  the  multiplied  pur- 
poses of  the  ancient  campaign — from  the  digging  of  a  trench 
or  the  management  of  a  catapult  to  the  assault  of  a  citadel  j 

26 


Salatbiel  Journeys  jfar  from  Jerusalem 


in  his  iron  endurance  of  the  vicissitudes  of  climate ;  in  the 
length  and  regularity  of  his  marches;  or  in  the  rapidity, 
boldness,  and  dexterity  of  his  maneuver  in  the  field.  Yet  it 
is  but  a  melancholy  tribute  to  the  valor  of  my  countrymen  to 
record  the  Roman  acknowledgment,  that  of  all  the  nations 
conquered  by  Rome  Judea  bore  the  chain  with  the  haughtiest 
dignity,  and  most  frequently  and  fiercely  contested  the  su- 
premacy of  the  sword. 

Under  that  stern  supremacy,  the  Samaritan  had  long 
rested  and  flourished  in  exemption  from  the  harassing  cruelty 
of  petty  war.  We  now  passed  with  our  long  caravan  un- 
guarded, and  moved  at  will  through  fields  rich  with  the 
luxuriance  of  an  Eastern  summer,  where  our  fathers  would 
have  scarcely  ventured  but  with  an  army.  I  made  no  resist- 
ance '  to  being  thus  led  away  to  a  region  so  remote  from  my 
own.  To  have  returned  to  the  cities  of  the  priests  would 
have  but  given  me  unceasing  agony.  Even  the  gates  of  Jeru- 
salem were  to  my  feelings  anathema.  The  whole  fabric  of 
my  mind  had  undergone  a  revolution.  Like  a  man  tossed  at 
the  mercy  of  the  tempest,  I  sought  but  a  shore — and  all 
shores  were  alike  to  him  who  must  be  an  exile  forever. 


Salatbiel 

passes 
tbrougb 
Samaria 


27 


CHAPTER  V 
Eleazar  Learns  of  SalathieVs  Denunciation 

Saiatbtd's        THE  country  through  which  we  passed,  after  leaving  the 
Bournes  .  J  °  f  ' 

Continue?*     boundaries  of  Samaria — where,  with  all   its  peace,  no  Jew 

could  tread  but  as  in  the  land  of  strangers — was  new  to  me. 
My  life  had  been  till  now  spent  in  study  or  in  serving  the 
altar ;  and  I  had  heard,  with  the  usual  and  unwise  indiffer- 
ence of  men  devoted  to  books,  the  praise  of  the  picturesque 
and  stately  provinces  that  still  remained  to  our  people.  I 
was  now  to  see  for  myself,  and  was  often  compelled,  as  we 
advanced,  to  reproach  the  idle  prejudice  that  had  so  long  de- 
prived me,  and  might  forever  deprive  so  many  of  my  conse- 
crated brethren,  of  an  enjoyment  cheering  to  the  human  heart 
and  full  of  lofty  and  hallowed  memory  to  the  men  of 
Israel.  As  we  passed  along,  less  traveling  than  wandering 
at  pleasure,  through  regions  where  every  winding  of  the  mar- 
ble hill  or  descent  of  the  fruitful  valley  showed  us  some 
sudden  and  romantic  beauty  of  landscape,  my  kinsmen  took  a 
natural  pride  in  pointing  out  the  noble  features  that  made 
Canaan  a  living  history  of  Providence.8 

What  were  even  the  trophy-covered  hills  of  Greece  or  the 
monumental  plains  of  Italy  to  the  hills  and  plains  where  the 
memorial  told  of  the  miracles  and  the  presence  of  the  Su- 
pre.me?  "Look  to  that  rock,"  they  would  exclaim:  "there 
descended  the  angel  of  the  Presence !  On  the  summit  of  that 
cloudy  ridge  stood  Ezekiel,  when  he  saw  the  vision  of  the 
latter  days.  Look  to  yonder  cleft  in  .the  mountains ;  there 
fell  the  lightning  from  heaven  on  the  Philistine."  In  our 
travel  we  reached  a  valley,  a  spot  of  singular  beauty  and 
seclusion,  blushing  with  flowers  and  sheeted  with  the  olive 
from  its  edge  down  to  a  stream  that  rushed  brightly  through 
its  bosom.  There  was  no  dwelling  of  man  in  it,  but  on  a 

28 


Xearns  of  Salatbtel'0  Denunciation 


gentler  slope  of  the  declivity  stood  a  gigantic  terebinth  -tree,  m  prater 
More  than  curiosity  was  attracted  to  this  delicious  spot,  for  Dalies 
the  laughter  and  talk  of  the  caravan  had  instantly  subsided 
at  the  sight.  All,  by  a  common  impulse,  dismounted  from 
their  horses  and  camels  ;  and  though  it  was  still  far  from  sun- 
set, the  tents  were  pitched  and  preparations  made  for  prayer. 
The  spot  reminded  me  of  the  valley  of  Hebron,  sacred  to  the 
Jewish  heart  as  the  burial-place  of  Abraham,  Sarah,  and 
Isaac.  May  they  sleep  in  the  bosom  of  the  Lord  !  The  tere- 
binth-tree, under  which  the  greatest  of  the  patriarchs  sat  and 
talked  with  the  angels—  the  fountain  —  the  cave  of  Macpelah, 
in  which  his  mortal  frame  returned  to  the  earth,  to  come  again 
in  glory,  appeared  to  lie  before  me. 

From  the  day  of  my  unspeakable  crime,  I  had  never  joined 
in  prayer  with  my  people.  Yet,  I  was  still  a  believer  in  the 
faith  of  Israel.  I  even  clung  to  it  with  the  nervous  violence 
of  one  who,  in  a  shipwreck,  feels  that  his  only  hope  is  the 
plank  in  his  grasp,  and  that  some  more  powerful  hand  is  tear- 
ing even  that  plank  away.  But  the  sight  of  human  beings 
enjoying  the  placid  consolations  of  prayer  had  from  the  first 
moment  overwhelmed  me  with  so  keen  a  sense  of  my  misfor- 
tune— the  pious  gentleness  of  attitude  and  voice,  the  calm 
uplifted  hand,  and  low  and  solemn  aspiration  were  in  so  deep 
a  contrast  to  the  involuntary  wildness  and  broken  utterings 
of  a  heart  bound  in  more  than  adamantine  chains,  that  I 
shrank  from  the  rebuke  and  groaned  in  solitude. 

I  went  forth  into  the  valley,  and  was  soon  lost  in  its  thick 
vegetation.  The  sound  of  the  hymn  that  sank  down  in  min- 
gled sweetness  with  the  murmuring  of  the  evening  air  through 
the  leaves,  and  the  bubbling  of  the  brook  below,  alone  told 
me  that  I  was  near  human  beings.  I  sat  upon  a  fragment  of 
turf,  (embroidered  as  never  was  kingly  footstool,\and  with  my 
hands  clasped  over  my  eyes,  to  remove  from  me  all  the  images 
of  life,  gave  way  to  that  visionary  mood  of  mind  in  which 
ideas  come  and  pass  in  crowds  without  shape,  leaving  no 
more  impression  than  the  drops  of  a  sun-shower  on  the  trees. 
I  had  remained  long  in  this  half  -dreaming  confusion,  and  had 
almost  imagined  myself  transported  to  some  intermediate 

29 


<Tarrg  Cbou  ttill  1  Come 


tbe  realm  of  being,  where  a  part  of  the  infliction  was  that  of  being 
of  rtiidam  startled  by  keen  flashes  of  light  from  some  upper  world,  when. 
I  was  roused  by  the  voice  of  Eleazar,  the  brother  of  Miriam, 
at  my  side.  His  manly  and  generous  countenance  expressed 
mingled  anxiety  and  gladness  at  discovering  me.  "The 
whole  camp,"  said  he,  "have  been  alarmed  at  your  absence, 
and  have  searched  for  these  three  hours  through  every  part 
of  our  day's  journey.  Miriam's  distraction  at  length  urged 
me  to  leave  her,  and  it  was  by  her  instinct  that  I  took  my 
way  down  the  only  path  hitherto  unsearched,  and  where,  in- 
deed, from  fear  or  reverence  of  the  place,  few  but  myself 
would  have  willingly  come."  He  called  to  an  attendant,  and, 
sending  him  up  the  side  of  the  valley  with  the  tidings,  \vc 
followed  slowly,  for  I  was  still  feeble.  As  we  emerged  into 
a  more  open  space,  the  moon  lying  on  masses  of  cloud,  like  a 
queen  pillowed  on  couches  of  silver,  showed  me,  in  her  strong 
illumination  of  the  forest,  the  flashes  which  had  added  to  the 
bewildered  pain  of  my  reverie.  While  I  talked  with  natural 
animation  of  the  splendor  of  the  heavens,  and  pointed  out  the 
lines  and  figures  on  the  moon's  disk,  which  made  it  probable 
that  it  was,  like  earth,  a  place  of  habitation,  he  suddenly 
pressed  my  hand,  and  stopping,  with  his  eyes  fixed  on  my 
face:  "How,"  said  he,  "does  it  happen,  my  friend,  my 
brother  Salathiel?  "  I  started,  as  if  my  name,  the  name  of 
my  illustrious  ancestor,  direct  in  descent  from  the  father  of 
the  faithful,  were  an  accusation.  He  proceeded,  with  an 
ardent  pressure  of  my  quivering  hand :  "  How  is  it  to  be  ac- 
counted for  that  you,  with  such  contemplations  and  the 
knowledge  that  gives  them  the  dignity  of  science,  can  yet  be 
so  habitually  given  over  to  gloom?  Serious  crime  I  will  not 
believe  in  you,  though  the  best  of  us  are  stained.  But  your 
character  is  pure;  I  know  your  nature  to  be  too  lofty  for  the 
degenerate  indulgence  of  the  passions,  and  Miriam's  love  for 
you,  a  love  passing  that  of  women,  is  in  itself  a  seal  of  vir- 
tue. Answer  me,  Can  the  wealth,  power,  or  influence  of  your 
brother  and  his  house,  nay  of  his  tribe,  assist  you?  " 

I  was  silent.     He  paused,  and  we  walked  on  a  while,  with- 
out a  sound  but  that  of  our  tread  among  the  leaves ;  but  his 

30 


jEleajar  Xearns  of  Salatbfel's  IRenunciation 

ruind  was  full,  and  it  would  have  way.  "Salathiel,"  said  he,  Speafeaof 
"  you  do  injustice  to  yourself,  to  your  wife,  and  to  your  friends.  Vioom  ( 
This  gloom  that  sits  eternally  on  your  forehead  must  wear 
away  all  your  uses  in  society;  it  bathes  your  incomparable 
wife's  pillow  in  tears,  and  it  disheartens,  nay  distresses,  us 
all.  Answer  me  as  one  man  of  honor  and  integrity  would  an- 
other. Have  you  been  disappointed  in  your  ambition?  I 
know  your  claims.  You  have  knowledge  surpassing  that  of 
a  multitude  of  your  contemporaries;  you  have  talents  that 
ought  to  be  honored ;  your  character  is  unimpeached  and  un- 
impeachable. Such  things  ought  to  have  already  raised  you 
to  eminence.  Have  you  found  yourself  thwarted  by  the  com- 
mon artifice  of  official  life?  Has  some  paltry  sycophant  crept 
up  before  you  by  the  oblique  path  that  honor  disdains?  Or 
have  you  felt  yourself  an  excluded  and  marked  man,  merely 
for  the  display  of  that  manlier  vigor,  richer  genius,  and  mere 
generous  and  sincere  impulse  of  heart  which  to  the  conscious 
inferiority  of  the  rabble  of  understanding  is  gall  and  worm- 
wood? Or  have  you  taken  too  deeply  into  your  resentment 
the  common  criminal  negligence  that  besets  common  minds  in 
power,  and  makes  them  carelessly  fling  away  upon  incapacity, 
and  guiltily  withhold  from  worth,  the  rewards  which  were 
entrusted  to  them  as  a  sacred  deposit  for  the  encouragement 
of  national  ability  and  personal  virtue?  " 

I  strongly  disavowed  all  conceptions  of  the  kind,  and  as- 
sured him  that  I  felt  neither  peculiar  merits  nor  peculiar  in- 
juries. "  I  have  seen  too  much  of  what  ambition  and  worldly 
success  were  made  of,  to  allow  hope  to  excite  or  failure  to 
depress  me.  I  am  even,"  added  I,  "so  far  from  being  the 
slave  of  that  most  vulgar  intemperance  of  a  deranged  heart, 
the  diseased  craving  for  the  miserable  indulgences  of  worldly 
distinction,  that  would  to  Heaven  I  might  never  again  enter 
the  gates  of  Jerusalem !  " 

He  started  back  in  surprise.  The  confession  had  been  alto- 
gether unintended,  and  I  looked  up  to  see  the  burst  of  Jew- 
ish wrath  descending  upon  me.  I  saw  none.  My  kinsman's 
fine  countenance  was  brightened  with  a  lofty  joy.  ''Then 
you  have  renounced.  But  no,  it  is  yet  too  soon.  At  your 

31 


abou  GUI  1F  Come 


xeatoc       age,  with  your  prospects,  can  you  have  renounced  the  career 
ofcfleaiab     offered  to  you  among  the  rulers  of  Israel?  " 
"  I  have  renounced. " 
"Sincerely,  solemnly,  upon  conviction?  " 
"  From  the  bottom  of  my  soul,  now  and  forever !  " 
We  had  reached  the  open  space  in  front  of  the  tercbinth- 
tree  that  stood  in  majesty,  extending  its  stately  branches  over 
a  space  cleared  of  all  other  trees,  a  sovereign  of  the  forest. 
In  silence  he  led  me  under  the  shade  to  a  small  tomb,  on 
which  the  light  fell  with  broken  luster.     "This,"  said  he,  "is 
the  tomb  of  the  greatest  prophet  on  whose  lips  the  wisdom 
of  Heaven  ever  burned.     There  sleeps  Isaiah!     There  is  si- 
lent  the   voice   that  for   fifty   years   spoke   more   than   the 
thoughts  of  man  in  the  ears  of  a  guilty  people.     There  are 
cold  the  hands  that  struck  the  harp  of  more  than  mortal 
sounds  to  the  glory  of  Him  to  whom  earth  and  its  kingdoms 
are  but  as  the  dust  of  the  balance.     There  lies  the  heart 
which  neither  the  desert,  nor  the  dungeon,  nor  the  teeth  of  the 
lion,  nor  the  saw  of  Manasseh,  could  tame— the  denouncer  of 
our  crimes — the  scourge  of  our  apostasy — the  prophet  of  that 
desolation  which  was  to  bow  the  grandeur  of  Judah  to  the 
grave  as  the  tree  of  the  mountain  in  the  whirlwind.     Saint 
and  martyr,  let  my  life  be  as  thine ;  and  if  it  be  the  will  of 
God,  let  my  death  be  even  as  thine !  " 

He  threw  himself  on  his  knees  and  remained  in  prayer  for 
a  time.  I  knelt  with  him,  but  no  prayer  would  issue  from 
my  heart.  He  at  length  rose,  and,  leading  me  into  the  moon- 
light, said  in  a  low  voice :  "  Is  there  not,  where  the  holy 
sleep,  a  holiness  in  the  very  ground?  I  waive  all  the  super- 
stitious feelings  of  the  idolater,  worshiping  the  dust  of  the 
creature,  for  the  King  alike  of  all.  I  pass  over  the  natural 
human  homage  for  the  memory  of  those  who  have  risen  above 
us  by  the  great  qualities  of  their  being.  But  if  there  are 
supernal  influences  acting  upon  the  mind  of  man ;  if  the 
winged  spirits  that  minister  before  the  throne  still  descend  to 
earth  on  missions  of  mercy,  I  will  believe  that  their  loved 
place  is  round  the  grave  where  sleeps  the  mortal  portion  of 
the  holy.  In  all  our  journeys  to  the  Temple,  it  has  been  the 

32 


Xearns  of  Salatbiel's  "Renunciation 


custom  of  our  shattered  and  humiliated  tribe  to  pause  beside    Saiatbiei's 
this  tomb,  and  offer  up  our  homage  to  that  Mightiest  of  the  *enunciation 
mighty  who  made  such  men  for  the  lights  of  Israel  !  "     He 
then  earnestly  repeated  the  question:  "Have  you  abandoned 
your  office?"      "Yes,"  was  the  answer,   "totally,  with  full 
purpose  never  to  resume  it.     In  your  mountains  I  will  live 
with  you,  and  with  you  I  will  die."     Memory  smote  me  as  I 
pronounced  the  word;  the  refuge  of  the  grave  was  not  for 
me! 

"Then,"  said  he,  "you  have  relieved  my  spirit  of  a  load; 
you  are  now  my  more  than  brother."  He  clasped  me  in  his 
arms.  "Yes,  Salathiel,  I  know  that  your  high  heart  must 
have  scorned  the  prejudices  of  the  Scribe  and  the  Pharisee; 
you  must  have  seen  through  and  loathed  the  smiling  hypoc- 
risy, the  rancorous  bigotry,  and  the  furious  thirst  of  blood 
that  are  hourly  sinking  us  below  the  lowest  of  the  hea- 
then. Hating  the  tyranny  of  the  Roman,  as  I  live  this  hour, 
I  would  rather  see  the  city  of  David  inhabited  by  none  but 
the  idolater,  or  delivered  over  to  the  curse  of  Babylon  and 
made  the  couch  of  the  lion  and  the  serpent,  than  see  its 
courts  filled  with  those  impious  traitors  to  the  spirit  of  the 
law,  those  cruel  extortioners  under  the  mask  of  self-denial, 
those  malignant  revelers  in  human  torture  under  the  name  of 
insulted  religion,  whose  joy  is  crime,  and  every  hour  of 
whose  being  but  wearies  the  long-suffering  of  God  and  pre- 
cipitates the  ruin  of  my  country." 

He  drew  from  his  bosom  and  unrolled  in  the  moonlight  a 
small  copy  of  the  Scriptures.  "My  brother,"  said  he,  "have 
you  read  the  holy  prophecies  of  him  by  whose  grave  we 
stand?  "  My  only  answer  was  a  smile  ;  they  were  the  chief 
study  of  the  priesthood.  "True,"  said  he;  "no  doubt,  you 
have  read  the  words  of  the  prophet.  But  wisdom  is  known 
of  her  children,  and  of  them  alone.  Bead  here." 

I  read  the  famous  Haphtorah  :  9  "  Who  hath  believed  our 
report?  and  to  whom  is  the  arm  of  the  Lord  revealed?  For 
he  shall  grow  up  before  him  as  a  tender  plant,  and  as  a  root 
out  of  a  dry  ground  ;  he  hath  no  form  nor  comeliness  ;  and 
when  we  shall  see  him,  there  is  no  beauty  that  we  should  de- 

3  33 


Gbou  trill  f  Come 


Vbc  future    sire  him.     He  is  the  despised  and  reiected  of  men ;  a  man  of 

D.-livcrcr  .  ,. 

of  3uJ>ab      sorrows !  ' 

He  stopped  me,  laying  his  hand  on  my  arm;  I  felt  his 
strong  nerves  tremble  like  an  infant's.  "Of  whom  hath  the 
prophet  spoken?  "  uttered  he  in  a  voice  of  intense  anxiety. 
"Of  whom?  Of  the  Deliverer  that  is  to  restore  Judah;  Him 
that  is  to  come,"  was  my  answer.  "  Him  that  is  to  come — 
still  to  come?"  he  exclaimed.  "God  of  heaven,  must  the 
veil  be  forever  on  the  face  of  Thy  Israel?  When  shall  our 
darkness  be  light,  and  the  chain  of  our  spirit  be  broken !  " 
The  glow  and  power  of  his  countenance  sank ;  he  took  the  roll 
with  a  sigh,  and  replaced  it  in  his  robe ;  then  with  his  hands 
clasped  across  his  bosom,  and  his  head  bowed,  he  led  our 
silent  Avay  up  the  side  of  the  valley. 


CHAPTER  VI 

Salathiel  and  His  People 

WE  soon  reached  the  hill  country,  and  our  road  passed  'Opposition 
through  what  were  once  the  allotments  of  Issachar,  Zebulun, 
and  Asher,  but  by  the  Roman  division  was  now  Upper  Gal- 
ilee. My  health  had  been  rapidly  restored  by  the  exercise 
and  the  balmy  air.  My  more  incurable  disease  was  prevented 
by  the  journey  from  perhaps  totally  engrossing  my  mind.  Of 
all  the  antagonists  to  mental  depression,  traveling  is  the  most 
vigorous ;  not  the  flight  from  place  to  place,  as  if  evil  were  to 
be  outrun,  nor  the  enclosure  of  the  weary  of  life  in  some  nar- 
row vehicle  that  adds  fever  and  pestilence  to  heaviness  of 
heart,  but  the  passing  at  our  ease  through  the  open  air  and 
bright  landscape  of  a  new  country.  To  me  the  novelty  and 
loveliness  of  the  land  were  combined  with  the  memory  of 
the  most  striking  events  in  human  record.  I  had,  too,  the 
advantage  of  a  companionship  which  would  have  enlivened 
travel  through  the  wilderness — brave  and  cheerful  men  and 
women  on  whose  minds  and  forms  nature  laid  her  finest 
stamp  of  beauty. 

The  name  of  Jew  is  now  but  another  title  for  humiliation. 
Who  that  sees  that  fallen  thing,  with  his  countenance  bent  to 
the  ground  and  his  form  withered  of  its  comeliness,  tottering 
through  the  proud  streets  of  Europe  in  some  degrading  occu- 
pation, and  clothed  in  the  robes  of  the  beggared  and  the  de- 
spised, could  imagine  the  bold  figures  and  gallant  bearing  of 
the  lion-hunters,  with  whom,  in  the  midst  of  shouts  and  songs 
of  careless  joy,  I  spurred  my  barb  up  the  mountain -paths  of 
Galilee !  Yet,  fallen  as  he  is,  the  physiognomy  of  the  Jew 
retains  a  share  of  its  original  beauty,  sufficient  to  establish 
the  claim  of  the  people  to  have  been  the  handsomest  race  on 
earth.  Individuals  of  superior  comeliness  may  often  be  found 

35 


Gbou  Ctll  1  Come 


among  the  multitudes  of  mankind.  But  no  nation,  nor  dis- 
tinct  part  of  any  nation,  can  rival  an  equal  number  of  the  un- 
happy exiles  of  Israel  in  the  original  impress  of  that  hand 
which  made  man  only  a  little  lower  than  the  angels.  To 
conceive  the  Jew  as  he  was,  we  should  picture  the  stern  and 
watchful  contraction  of  the  dark  eye  expanded ;  the  fierce  and 
ridgy  brow  lowering  no  more ;  the  lip  no  longer  gathered  in 
habitual  fear  or  scorn ;  the  cheek  no  longer  sallow  with  want 
or  pining,  and  the  whole  man  elevated  by  the  returning  con- 
sciousness that  he  has  a  rank  among  nations.  All  his  deform- 
ities have  been  the  birth  of  his  misfortunes.  What  beauty 
can  we  demand  from  the  dungeon?  What  dignity  of  aspect 
from  the  hewers  of  wood  and  drawers  of  water  for  mankind? 
Where  shall  we  seek  the  magnificent  form  and  illumined 
countenance  of  the  hero  and  the  sage — from  the  heart  can- 
kered by  the  chain,  from  the  plundered,  the  enslaved,  tht 
persecuted  of  two  thousand  years? 

Of  the  daughters  of  my  country  I  have  never  seen  the 
equals  in  beauty.  Our  blood  was  Arab,  softened  down  by 
various  changes  of  state  and  climate,  till  it  was  finally  brought 
to  perfection  in  the  most  genial  air  and  the  most  generous 
soil  of  the  globe.  The  vivid  features  of  the  Arab  counte- 
nance, no  longer  attenuated  by  the  desert,  assumed,  in  the 
plenty  of  Egypt,  that  fulness  and  fine  proportion  which  still 
belongs  to  the  dwellers  by  the  Nile ;  but  the  true  change  was 
on  our  entrance  into  the  promised  land.  Peace,  the  posses- 
sion of  property,  days  spent  among  the  cheerful  and  healthful 
occupations  of  rural  life,  are  in  themselves  productive  of  the 
finer  developments  of  the  human  form — a  form  whose  natural 
tendency  is  to  beauty.  But  our  nation  had  an  additional  and 
an  unshared  source  of  nobleness  of  aspect:  it  was  free. 

The  state  of  man  in  the  most  unfettered  republics  of  the 
ancient  world  was  slavery  compared  with  the  magnanimous 
and  secure  establishment  of  the  Jewish  commonwealth.  Dur- 
ing the  three  hundred  golden  years,  from  Moses  to  Samuel — 
before  we  were  given  over  to  the  madness  of  innovation  for 
our  sins,  and  the  demand  of  an  earthly  diadem — the  Jew  was 
free  in  the  loftiest  sense  of  freedom ;  free  to  do  all  good ;  re- 

36 


Salatbfel  and  "tote  people 


stricted  only  from  evil ;  every  man  pursuing  the  unobstructed 
course  pointed  out  by  his  genius  or  his  fortune ;  every  man 
protected  by  laws  inviolable,  or  whose  violation  was  instantly 
visited  with  punishment  by  the  Eternal  Sovereign  alike  of 
ruler  and  people. 

Freedom !  twin  sister  of  Virtue,  thou  brightest  of  all  the 
spirits  that  descended  in  the  train  of  Religion  from  the  throne 
of  God ;  thou  that  leadest  up  man  again  to  the  early  glories 
of  his  being ;  angel,  from  the  circle  of  whose  presence  happi- 
ness spreads  like  the  sunrise  over  the  darkness  of  the  laud ; 
at  the  waving  of  whose  scepter,  knowledge  and  peace  and 
fortitude  and  wisdom  descend  upon  the  wing;  at  the  voice 
of  whose  trumpet  the  more  than  grave  is  broken  and  slavery 
gives  up  her  dead,  —when  shall  I  see  thy  coining?  When  shall 
I  hear  thy  summons  upon  the  mountains  of  my  country,  and 
rejoice  in  the  regeneration  and  glory  of  the  sons  of  Judah?  I 
have  traversed  nations,  and,  as  I  set  rny  foot  upon  their 
boundary,  I  have  said,  "  Freedom  is  not  here !  "  I  saw  the 
naked  hill,  the  morass  steaming  with  death,  the  field  covered 
with  Aveedy  fallow,  the  sickly  thicket  encumbering  the  land ; 
I  saw  the  still  more  infallible  signs,  the  downcast  visage,  the 
form  degraded  at  once  by  loathsome  indolence  and  desperate 
poverty;  the  peasant,  cheerless  and  feeble  in  his  field,  the 
wolfish  robber,  the  population  of  the  cities  crowded  into  huts 
and  cells,  with  pestilence  for  their  fellow;  I  saw  the  con- 
tumely of  man  to  man,  the  furious  vindictiveness  of  popular 
rage,  and  I  pronounced  at  the  moment,  "This  people  is  not 
^free!" 

In  the  various  republics  of  heathen  antiquity,  the  helot 
living  under  the  yoke  of  oppression,  and  the  born  bondsman 
lingering  out  life  in  thankless  toil,  at  once  put  to  flight  all 
conceptions  of  freedom.  In  the  midst  of  altars  fuming  to 
liberty,  of  harangues  glowing  with  the  most  pompous  protes- 
tations of  scorn  for  servitude,  of  crowds  inflated  with  the  pre- 
sumption that  they  disdained  a  master,  the  eye  was  insulted 
with  the  perpetual  chain.  The  temple  of  Liberty  was  built 
upon  the  dungeon.  Rome  came,  and  unconsciously  avenged 
the  insulted  name  of  freedom ;  the  master  and  the  slave  were 

37 


abou  CHI  1  Come 


TObere  free-  bowed  down  together,  and  the  dungeon  was  made  the  com- 
£>om  1Rcigne!>  in  ,       •,,.  <>    •>-. 

•name  Hione  mon  dwelling  01  all. 

In  the  Italian  republics  of  after  ages,  I  saw  the  vigor  that, 
living  in  the  native  soil  of  empire,  has  always  sprung  up  on 
the  first  call.  The  time  has  changed  since  Italy  poured  its 
legions  over  the  world.  The  volcano  was  now  sleeping;  yet 
the  fire  still  burned  within  its  womb,  and  threw  out  in  its  in- 
visible strength  the  luxuriant  qualities  of  the  land  of  power. 
The  innate  Roman  passion  for  sovereignty  was  no  longer  to 
find  its  triumphs  in  the  field ;  it  rushed  up  the  paths  of  a 
loftier  and  more  solid  glory,  with  a  speed  and  a  strength  that 
left  mankind  wondering  below.  The  arts,  adventure,  legisla- 
tion, literature  in  all  its  shapes,  of  the  subtle,  the  rich,  and 
the  sublime,  were  the  peaceful  triumphs  whose  laurels  will 
entwine  the  Italian  brow  when  the  wreath  of  the  Csesars  is 
remembered  but  as  a  badge  of  national  folly  and  individual 
crime. 

But  those  republics  knew  freedom  only  by  name.  All, 
within  a  few  years  from  their  birth,  had  abandoned  its  living 
principles — justice,  temperance,  and  truth.  I  saw  the  sol- 
diery of  neighbor  cities  marching  to  mutual  devastation,  and  I 
said,  "  Freedom  is  not  here !  "  I  saw  abject  privation  mingled 
with  boundless  luxury ;  in  the  midst  of  the  noblest  works  of 
architecture,  the  hovel ;  in  the  pomps  of  citizens  covered  with 
cloth  of  gold,  gazing  groups  of  faces  haggard  with  beggary 
and  sin ;  I  saw  the  sold  tribunal,  the  inexorable  state  prison, 
the  established  spy,  the  protected  assassin,  the  secret  torture ; 
and  I  said,  "  Freedom  is  not  here !  "  The  pageant  filled  the 
streets  with  more  than  kingly  blazonry,  the  trumpets  flour- 
ished, the  multitude  shouted,  the  painter  covered  the  walls 
with  immortal  emblems,  in  honor  of  Freedom ;  I  pointed  to 
the  dungeon,  the  rack,  and  the  dagger !  Bitterer  and  deeper 
sign  than  all,  I  pointed  to  the  exile  of  exiles,  the  broken 
man,  whom  even  the  broken  trample,  of  all  the  undone  the 
most  undone — my  outcast  brother  in  the  blood  of  Abraham ! 

I  am  not  about  to  be  his  defender ;  I  am  not  regardless  of 
his  tremendous  crime ;  I  can  not  stand  up  alone  against  the 
voice  of  universal  man,  which  has  cried  out  that  thus  it  shall 

38 


Salatbtel  and  f)is  people 


be ;  but  I  say  it  from  the  depths  of  my  soul,  and  as  I  hope 
for  rest  to  my  miseries,  that  I  never  saw  freedom  survive  in 
that  land  which  loved  to  smite  the  Jew ! 

I  saw  one  republic  more,  the  mightiest  and  the  last ;  for  the 
justice  of  Heaven  on  the  land,  the  most  terrible;  for  the  mercy 
of  Heaven  to  mankind,  the  briefest  in  its  devastation.  But 
there  all  was  hypocrisy  that  was  not  horror;  the  only  equal 
rights  were  those  of  the  equal  robber ;  the  sacred  figure  of 
Liberty  veiled  its  face ;  and  the  offering  on  its  violated  shrine 
was  the  spoil  of  honor,  bravery,  and  virtue. 

The  daughters  of  our  nation,  sharing  in  the  rights  of  its 
sons,  bore  the  lofty  impression  that  virtuous  freedom  always 
stamps  on  the  human  features.  But  they  had  the  softer 
graces  of  their  sex  in  a  degree  unequaled  in  the  ancient 
world.  While  the  woman  of  the  East  was  immured  behind 
bolts  and  bars,  from  time  immemorial  a  prisoner,  and  the 
woman  of  the  West  was  a  toy,  a  savage,  or  a  slave,  our  wives 
and  maidens  enjoyed  the  intercourses  of  society,  which  their 
talents  were  well  calculated  to  cheer  and  adorn.  They  were 
skilled  on  the  harp ;  their  sweet  voices  were  tuned  to  the  rich- 
est strains  of  earth ;  they  were  graceful  in  the  dance ;  the 
writings  of  our  bards  were  in  their  hands ;  and  what  nation 
ever  possessed  such  illustrious  founts  of  thought  and  virtue ! 
But  there  was  another  and  a  still  higher  ground  for  that 
peculiar  expression  which  makes  their  countenance  still 
lighten  before  me,  as  something  of  more  than  mortal  beauty. 
The  earliest  consciousness  of  every  Jewish  woman  was,  that 
she  might,  in  the  hand  of  Providence,  be  the  sacred  source 
of  a  blessing  and  a  glory  that  throws  all  imagination  into  the 
shade ;  that  of  her  might  be  born  a  Being,  to  whom  earth  and 
all  its  kings  should  bow — the  more  than  man !  the  more  than 
angel!  veiling  for  a  little  time  His  splendors  in  the  form  of 
man,  to  raise  Israel  to  the  scepter  of  the  world,  to  raise  thai 
world  into  a  renewed  paradise,  and  then  to  resume  His  original 
glory,  and  be  Sovereign,  Creator,  God — all  in  all ! 

This  consciousness,  however  dimmed,  was  never  forgotten ; 
the  misfortunes  of  Judah  never  breaking  the  strong  link  by 
which  we  held  to  the  future.  The  reliance  on  predictions 


Gbou  Gill  1  Come 


izbe  passing  perpetually  renewed,  and  never  more  vividly  renewed  than  in 
of  3u&aVs  the  midst  of  our  misfortunes — a  reliance  commemorated  in  all 
^e  great  ceremonies  of  our  nation,  in  our  worship,  in  our 
festivals,  in  every  baptism,  in  every  marriage — must  have 
filled  a  large  space  in  the  susceptible  mind  of  woman. 
And  what  but  the  mind  forms  the  countenance?  And  what 
must  have  been  the  molding  of  that  most  magnificent  and 
elevating  of  all  hopes,  for  centuries,  on  the  most  plastic  and 
expressive  features  in  the  world? 

Sacredly  reserved  from  intermixture  with  the  blood  of  the 
stranger,  the  hope  was  spread  throughout  Israel.  The  line 
of  David  was  pure,  but  its  connection  had  shot  widely 
through  the  land.  It  was  like  the  Indian  tree  taking  root 
through  a  thousand  trees.  Every  Jewish  woman  might  hope 
to  be  the  living  altar  on  which  the  Light  to  lighten  the  Gen- 
tiles was  to  descend!  The  humblest  might  be  the  blessed 
among  women — the  mother  of  the  Messiah!  But  all  is  gone! 
Ages  of  wandering,  wo,  poverty,  contumely,  and  mixture  of 
blood  have  done  their  work  of  evil.  The  loveliness  may 
partially  remain,  but  the  glory  of  Judah's  daughters  is  no 
more. 


40 


CHAPTER  VII 
The  Loss  of  a  Life 

WE  continued  ascending  through  the  defiles  of  the  moun-  B  "coioif  Cbaae 
tain  range  of  Carmel.  The  gorges  of  the  hills  gave  us  alter- 
nate  glimpses  of  Lower  Galilee,  and  of  the  great  sea  which 
lay  bounding  the  western  horizon  with  azure.  The  morning 
breezes  from  the  land,  now  in  the  full  vegetation  of  the  rapid 
spring  of  Palestine,  scarcely  ceased  to  fill  the  heavens  with 
fragrance,  when  the  sea-wind  sprang  up  and,  with  the  cool- 
ness and  purity  of  a  gush  of  fountain-waters,  renewed  the 
spirit  of  life  in  the  air  and  made  the  whole  caravan  forget  its 
fatigue.  Our  bold  hunters  spurred  down  the  valleys  and  up 
the  hills  with  the  wildness  of  superfluous  vigor,  tossed  their 
lances  into  the  air,  sang  their  mountain  songs,  and  shouted 
the  cries  of  the  chase  and  the  battle. 

On  one  eventful  day  a  wolf  was  started  from  its  covert,  and 
every  rein  was  let  loose  in  a  moment ;  nothing  could  stop  the 
fearlessness  of  the  riders  or  exhaust  the  fire  of  the  steeds. 
The  caravan,  coming  on  slowly  with  the  women  and  children 
and  lengthening  out  among  the  passes,  was  forgotten.  I 
scorned  to  be  left  behind,  and  followed  my  daring  companions 
at  full  speed.  The  wolf  led  us  a  long  chase ;  and  on  the  sum- 
mit of  a  rock,  still  blazing  in  the  sunlight  like  a  beacon,  while 
the  plain  was  growing  dim,  he  fought  his  last  fight,  and,  trans- 
fixed with  a  hundred  lances,  died  the  death  of  a  hero.  But 
the  spot  which  we  had  reached  supplied  statelier  contempla- 
tions:  we  were  on  the  summit  of  Mount  Tabor ;  the  eye  wan- 
dered over  the  whole  glory  of  the  Land  of  Promise.  To  the 
soutli  extended  the  mountains  of  Samaria,  their  peaked  sum- 
mits glowing  in  the  sun  with  the  colored  brilliancy  of  a  chain 
of  gems.  To  the  east  lay  the  lake  of  Tiberias,  a  long  line  of 
purple.  Northward,  like  a  thousand  rainbows,  ascended,  lit 

41 


Gbou  GUI  1F  Come 


Saiatbfei's    by  the  western  flame,  the  mountains  of  Gilboa,  those  memor- 
rttount  Uabor  able  hills  on  which  the  spear  of  Saul  was  broken,  and  the  first 
curse  of  our  obstinacy  was  branded  upon  us  in  the  blood  of 
our  first  king.     Closing  the  superb  circle,  and  soaring  into  the 
heavens,  ascended  step  by  step  the  Antilibanus. 

the  sights  that  nature  offers  to  the  eye  and  mind  of 
man,  mountains  have  always  stirred  my  strongest  feelings.  I 
have  seen  the  ocean  when  it  was  turned  up  from  the  bottom 
by  tempest,  and  noon  was  like  night  with  the  conflict  of  the 
billows  and  the  storm  that  tore  and  scattered  them  in  mist 
and  foam  across  the  sky.  I  have  seen  the  desert  rise  around 
me,  and  calmly,  in  the  midst  of  thousands  uttering  cries  of 
horror  and  paralyzed  by  fear,  have  contemplated  the  sandy 
pillars  coming  like  the  advance  of  some  gigantic  city  of  con- 
flagration flying  across  the  wilderness,  every  column  glowing 
with  intense  fire  and  every  blast  with  death ;  the  sky  vaulted 
with  gloom,  the  earth  a  furnace.  But  with  me,  the  mountain 
— in  tempest  or  in  calm,  whether  the  throne  of  the  thunder 
or  with  the  evening  sun  painting  its  dells  and  declivities  in 
colors  dipped  in  heaven — has  been  the  source  of  the  most  ab- 
sorbing sensations :  there  stands  magnitude,  giving  the  instant 
impression  of  a  power  above  man — grandeur  that  defies  decay 
— antiquity  that  tells  of  ages  unnumbered — beauty  that  the 
touch  of  time  makes  only  more  beautiful — use  exhaustless  for 
the  service  of  man — strength  imperishable  as  the  globe;  the 
monument  of  eternity — the  truest  earthly  emblem  of  that  ever- 
living,  unchangeable,  irresistible  Majesty  by  whom  and  for 
whom  all  things  were  made ! 

I  was  gazing  on  the  Antilibanus,  and  peopling  its  distant 
slopes  with  figures  of  other  worlds  ascending  and  descending, 
as  in  the  patriarch's  dream,  when  I  was  roused  by  the  tram- 
pling steed  of  one  of  my  kinsmen  returning  with  the  wolf's 
head,  the  trophy  of  his  superior  prowess,  at  his  saddle-bow. 

"So,"  said  he,  "you  disdained  to  share  the  last  battle  of 
that  dog  of  the  Galilees?  But  we  shall  show  you  something 
better  worth  the  chase  when  we  reach  home.  The  first  snow 
that  drives  the  lions  down  from  Lebanon,  or  the  first  hot  wind 
that  sends  the  panthers  flying  before  it  from  Assyria,  will 

42 


Xoss  of  a  Xife 


have  all  our  villages  up  in  arms ;  every  man  who  can  draw  a  3ubaPe  trnbai 
bow  or  throw  a  lance  will  be  on  the  mountains;  and  then 
we  shall  give  you  the  honors  of  a  hunter  in  exchange  for  your 
philosophy."  He  uttered  this  with  a  jovial  laugh,  and  a  hand 
grasping  mine  with  the  grip  of  a  giant.  "Yet,"  said  he,  and 
a  shade  passed  over  his  brow,  "  I  wish  we  had  something  bet- 
ter to  do ;  you  must  not  look  down  upon  Jubal,  and  the  tribe 
of  your  brother  Eleazar,  as  mere  rovers  after  wolves  and  pan- 
thers."10 

I  willingly  declared  my  respect  for  the  intrepidity  and  dex- 
terity which  the  mountain  life  insured.  I  applauded  its 
health,  activity,  and  cheerfulness.  "  Yet,"  interrupted  Jubal 
sternly,  "what  can  be  done  while  those  Romans  are  every- 
where round  us?  "  He  stopped  short,  reined  up  his  horse 
with  a  sudden  force  that  made  the  animal  spring  from  the 
ground,  flung  his  lance  high  in  air,  caught  it  in  the  fall,  and 
having  thus  relieved  his  indignation,  returned  to  discuss  with 
me  the  chances  of  a  Roman  war.  "Look  at  those,"  said  he, 
pointing  to  the  horsemen  who  were  now  bounding  across  the 
declivities  to  rejoin  the  caravan ;  "their  horses  are  flame,  their 
bodies  are  iron,  and  their  souls  would  be  both  if  they  had  a 
leader."  "Eleazar  is  brave,"  I  replied.  "Brave  as  his  own 
lance,"  was  the  answer;  "no  warmer  heart,  wiser  head,  or 
firmer  arm  moves  at  this  hour  within  the  borders  of  the  land. 
But  he  despairs."  "He  knows,"  said  I,  "the  Roman  power 
and  the  Jewish  weakness." 

"Both — both,  too  well!  "  was  the  reply.     "But  he  forgets 
the  power  that  is  in  the  cause  of  a  people  fighting  for  their* 
law   and  for  their  rights,  in  the  midst  of  glorious  remem- 
brances, nay,  in  the  hope  of  a  help  greater  than  that  of  the 
sword.     Look  at  the  tract  beyond  those  linden-trees." 

He  pointed  to  a  broken  extent  of  ground,  darkly  distin- 
guishable from  the  rest  of  the  plain.  "  On  that  ground,  to 
this  moment  wearing  the  look  of  a  grave,  was  drawn  up  the 
host  of  Sisera ;  .  under  that  ground  is  its  grave.  By  this 
stone,"  and  he  struck  his  lance  on  a  rough  pillar  defaced  by 
time,  "  stood  Deborah  the  prophetess,  prophesying  against  the 
thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  of  the  heathen  below  <  On 

43 


Carrg  tTbou  GUI  1  Come 


3ubai,  this  hiL  were  drawn  up  the  army  of  Barak,  as  a  drop  in  the 
raarrior  ocean  compared  with  the  infidel  multitudes.  They  were  the 
ancestors  of  the  men  whom  you  now  see  trooping  before  you ; 
the  men  of  Naphtali,  with  their  brothers  of  Zebulun.  On 
this  spot  they  gathered  their  might  like  the  storm  of  heaven. 
From  this  spot  they  poured  down  like  its  whirlwinds  and 
lightnings  upon  the  taunting  enemy.  God  was  their  leader. 
They  rushed  upon  the  nine  hundred  scythed  chariots,  upon 
the  mailed  cavalry,  upon  the  countless  infantry.  Of  all,  but 
one  escaped  from  the  plain  of  Jezreel,  and  that  one  only  to 
perish  in  his  flight  by  the  degradation  of  a  woman's  hand!  " 
He  wheeled  round  his  foaming  horse,  and  appealed  to. me. 
"  Are  the  Roman  legions  more  numerous  than  that  host  of  the 
dead?  Is  Israel  now  less  valiant,  less  wronged,  or  less  indig- 
nant? Shall  no  prophet  arise  among  us  again?  Shall  it  not 
be  sung  again,  as  it  was  then  sung  to  the  harps  of  Israel : 
'  Zebulun  and  Naphtali  were  a  people  that  jeoparded  their  lives 
unto  the  death  in  the  high  places  of  the  field '  ?  " 

I  looked  with  involuntary  wonder  at  the  change  wrought 
in  him  by  those  proud  recollections.  The  rude  and  jovial 
hunter  was  no  more ;  the  Jewish  warrior  stood  before  me, 
filled  with  the  double  impulse  of  generous  scorn  of  the  oppres- 
sion and  of  high  dependence  on  the  fate  of  his  nation.  His 
countenance  was  ennobled,  his  form  seemed  to  dilate,  his  voice 
grew  sonorous  as  a  trumpet.  A  sudden  burst  of  the  declining 
sun  broke  upon  his  figure,  and  threw  a  sheet  of  splendor  across 
the  scarlet  turban,  the  glittering  tunic,  the  spear-point  lifted 
"in  the  strenuous  hand,  the  richly  caparisoned  front  and  san- 
guine nostrils  of  his  impatient  charger.  A  Gentile  would 
have  worshiped  him  as  the  tutelar  genius  of  war.  I  saw  in 
him  but  the  man  that  our  history  and  our  law  were  ordained 
beyond  all  others  to  have  made — the  native  strength  of  char- 
acter raised  into  heroism  by  the  conviction  of  a  guiding  and 
protecting  Providence. 

The  conversation  was  not  forgotten  oh  either  side ;  and  it 
bore  fruit,  fearful  fruit,  in  time. 

We  had  reached  on  our  return  a  commanding  point,  from 
which  we  looked  into  the  depths  already  filling  with  twilight, 

44 


loss  of  a  Xife 


and  through  whose  blue  vapors  the  caravan  toiled  slowly  Saiatbiei's 
along,  like  a  wearied  fleet  in  some  billowy  sea.<?  Suddenly  tb"i&eccipic" 
a  tumult  was  perceived  below ;  shouts  of  confusion  and  terror 
rose,  and  the  whole  caravan  was  seen  scattering  in  all  direc- 
tions through  the  passes.  For  the  first  moment  we  thought 
that  it  had  been  attacked  by  the  mountain  robbers.  We 
grasped  our  lances,  and  galloped  down  the  side  of  the  hill  to 
charge  them,  when  we  were  stopped  at  once  by  a  cry  from 
the  ridge  which  we  had  just  left.  It  struck  through  my  heart 
— the  voice  was  Miriam's.  To  my  unspeakable  horror,  I  saw 
her  dromedary,  mad  with  fear  and  pouring  blood,  rush  along 
the  edge  of  the  precipice.  I  saw  the  figure  clinging  to  his 
neck.  The  light  forsook  my  eyes,  and  but  for  the  grasp  of 
Jubal,  I  must  have  fallen  to  the  ground  His  voice  aroused 
me.  When  I  looked  round  again,  the  shouts  had  died,  the 
troop  had  disappeared— it  seemed  all  a  dream ! 

But,  again,  the  shouts  came  doubling  upon  the  wind,  and 
far  as  the  eye  could  pierce  through  the  dusk,  I  saw  the  white 
robe  of  Miriam  flying  along  like  a  vapor  I  threw  the  reins 
on  my  horse's  neck— I  roused  him  with  my  voice — I  rushed 
with  the  fearlessness  of  despair  through  the  hills— I  overtook 
the  troop — I  outstripped  them — still  the  vision  flew  before 
me.  At  length  it  sank.  The  dromedary  had  plunged  down 
the  precipice,  a  depth  of  hideous  darkness.  A  torrent  roared 
below.  I  struck  in  the  spur  to  follow.  My  horse  wheeled 
round  on  the  edge ;  while  I  strove  to  force  him  to  the  leap, 
my  kinsmen  came  up,  with  Eleazar  at  their  head.  Bold  as 
they  were,  they  all  recoiled  from  the  frightful  depth.  Even 
in  that  wild  moment  I  had  time  to  feel  that  this  was  but  the 
beginning  of  my  inflictions,  and  that  I  was  to  be  the  ruin  of 
all  that  belonged  to  me.  In  consciousness  unspeakable,  I 
sprang  from  my  startled  steed,  and  before  a  hand  could 
check  me  I  plunged  in.  A  cry  of  astonishment  and  horror 
rang  in  my  ears  as  I  fell  The  roar  of  waters  was  then 
around  me.  I  struggled  with  the  torrent,  gasped,  and  heard 
no  more. 

This  desperate  effort  saved  the  life  of  Miriam  We  were 
found  apparently  dead,  clasped  in  each  other's  arms,  at  some 

45 


Gbou  GUI  I  Come 


"Cbc  Sprina  of  distance  down  the  stream.  The  plunge  had  broken  the  band 
by  which  she  was  fixed  on  the  saddle.  She  floated,  and  we 
were  thrown  together  by  the  eddy.  After  long  effort,  we 
were  restored.  But  the  lamentations  of  my  matchless  wife 
were  restrained  beside  my  couch,  only  to  burst  forth  when 
she  was  alone.  We  had  lost  our  infant! 

The  chase  of  the  wolves  in  the  mountain  had  driven  them 
across  the  march  of  the  caravan.  One  of  those  savages  sprang 
upon  the  flank  of  the  dromedary.  The  animal,  in  the  agony 
of  its  wounds,  burst  away;  its  proverbial  fleetness  baffled  pur- 
suit, and  it  was  almost  fortunate  that  it  at  length  bounded 
over  the  precipice,  as,  in  the  mountain  country,  its  precious 
burden  must  have  perished  by  the  lion  or  by  famine.  Miriam 
held  her  babe  with  the  strong  grasp  of  a  mother,  but  in  the 
torrent  that  grasp  was  dissolved.  All  our  search  was  in 
vain.  My  wife  wept;  but  I  had  in  her  rescued  my  chief 
treasure  on  earth,  and  was  partially  consoled  by  the  same 
deep  feeling  which  pronounced  that  I  might  have  been  pun- 
ished by  the  loss  of  all. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

Sa.la.ihid.  Confronts  the  Shade  of  Antiochus 

LET  me  hasten  through  some  years.11  The  sunshine  of  life 
was  gone;  in  all  my  desire  to  conform  to  the  habits  of  my 
new  career,  I  found  myself  incapable  of  contentment.  But 
the  times,  that  had  long  resembled  the  stagnation  of  a  lake, 
were  beginning  to  be  shaken.  Rome  herself,  the  prey  of  con- 
spiracy, gradually  held  her  foreign  scepter  with  a  feebler 
hand.  Gaul  and  Germany  were  covered  with  gathering 
clouds,  and  their  flashes  were  answered  from  the  Asiatic 
hills.  With  the  relaxation  of  the  paramount  authority,  the 
chain  of  subordinate  oppression,  as  always  happens,  was  made 
tighter.  As  the  master  was  enfeebled,  the  menials  were  less 
in  awe;  and  Judea  rapidly  felt  what  must  be  the  evils  of  a 
military  government  without  the  strictness  of  military  dis- 
cipline. 

I  protest  against  being  charged  with  ambition.  But  I  had 
a  painful  sense  of  the  guilt  of  suffering  even  such  powers  as 
I  might  possess  to  waste  away,  without  use  to  some  part  of 
mankind.  I  was  weary  of  the  utter  unproductiveness  of  the 
animal  enjoyments,  in  which  I  saw  the  multitude  round  me 
content  to  linger  into  old  age.  I  longed  for  an  opportunity 
of  contributing  my  mite  to  the  solid  possessions  by  which 
posterity  is  wiser,  happier,  or  purer  than  the  generation  be- 
fore it — some  trivial  tribute  to  that  mighty  stream  of  time 
which  ought  to  go  on,  continually  bringing  richer  fertility  as 
it  flowed.  I  was  not  grieved  by  the  change  which  I  saw  over- 
shadowing the  gorgeous  empire  of  Rome.  My  unspeakable 
crime  may  have  thrown  a  deeper  tinge  on  those  contempla- 
tions. But  by  a  singular  fatality,  and  perhaps  for  the  in- 
crease of  my  punishment,  I  was  left  for  long  periods  in 
each  year  to  the  common  impressions  of  life.  The  wisdom, 

47 


Gbou  GUI  1  Come 


fjfs  painful    which  even  my  great  misfortune  might  have  forced  upon  me, 
ceo  ectona  ..  the  being  who,  in  the  conviction  of  his 


mysterious  destiny,  must  have  looked  upon  earth  and  its  pur- 
suits as  man  looks  upon  the  labors  and  the  life  of  flies—  as 
atoms  in  the  sunshine  —  as  measureless  emptiness  and  trifling 
—  was  given  over  to  be  disturbed  by  the  impulses  of  genera- 
tions on  whose  dust  he  was  to  sit,  and  to  see  other  genera- 
tions rise  round  him,  themselves  to  sink  alike  into  dust,  while 
he  still  sat  an  image  of  endurance,  torturing,  but  imperish- 
able. 

There  was  a  season  in  each  year  when  those  recollections 
returned  with  overwhelming  vividness.  If  all  other  knowl- 
edge of  the  approach  of  the  Passover  could  have  escaped  me, 
there  were  signs,  fearful  signs,  that  warned  me  of  that  hour 
of  my  wo.  A  periodic  dread  of  the  sight  of  man,  a  sudden 
sense  of  my  utter  separation  from  the  interests  of  the  transi- 
tory beings  around  me,  wild  dreams,  days  of  immovable  ab- 
straction, yet  filled  with  the  breathing  picture  of  all  that  I 
had  done  on  the  day  of  my  guilt  in  Jerusalem,  rose  before 
me  with  such  intense  reality  that  I  lived  again  through  the 
scene.  The  successive  progress  of  my  crime  —  the  swift  and 
stinging  consciousness  of  condemnation  —  the  flash  of  fearful 
knowledge,  that  showed  me  futurity  —  all  were  felt  with  the 
keenness  of  a  being  from  whom  his  fleshly  nature  has  been 
stripped  away  and  the  soul  bared  to  every  visitation  of  pain. 
I  stood,  like  a  disembodied  spirit,  in  suffering. 

Yet  I  could  not  be  restrained  from  following  my  tribe  on 
their  annual  progress  to  the  Holy  City.  To  see  from  afar  the 
towers  of  the  Temple  was  with  me  like  a  craving  for  life  — 
but  I  never  dared  to  set  my  foot  within  its  gates.  On  some 
pretense  or  other,  and  sometimes  through  real  powerlessness, 
arising  from  the  conflict  of  my  heart,  I  lingered  behind,  yet 
within  the  distance  from  which  the  city  could  be  seen.  There 
among  the  precipices  I  wandered  through  the  day,  listening 
to  the  various  uproar  of  the  mighty  multitude,  or  wistfully 
catching  some  echo  of  the  hymns  in  the  Temple  —  sounds  that 
stole  from  my  eye  many  a  tear  —  till  darkness  fell,  the  city 
slumbered,  and  the  blast  of  the  Roman  trumpets,  as  they  di- 

48 


Salatbiel  Confronts  tbc  Sbaoe  of  Snttocbus 

vided  the   night,  reminded  me  of  the  fallen  glories  of  my  Salatbiel  »e= 

»         J     siBe  tbe  lafce 
countiy. 

In  one  of  those  wanderings  I  had  followed  the  courses  of 
the  Kedron,  which,  from  a  brook  under  the  walls  of  Jerusa- 
lem, swells  to  a  river  on  its  descent  to  the  Dead  Sea.  The 
blood  of  the  sacrifices  from  the  conduits  of  the  altars  curdled 
on  its  surface  and  stained  the  sands  purple.  It  looked  like 
a  wounded  vein  from  the  mighty  heart  above.  I  still  strayed 
on,  wrapped  in  sad  forebodings  of  the  hour  when  its  stains 
might  be  of  more  than  sacrifice,  until  I  found  myself  on  the 
edge  of  the  lake.  Who  has  ever  seen  that  black  expanse 
without  a  shudder?  There  were  the  engulfed  cities.  Around 
it  life  was  extinct — no  animal  bounded — no  bird  hovered. 
The  distant  rushing  of  the  Jordan,  as  it  forced  its  current 
through  the  heavy  waters,  or  the  sigh  of  the  wind  through 
the  reeds,  alone  broke  the  silence  of  this  mighty  grave.  Of 
the  melancholy  objects  of  nature,  none  is  more  depressing 
than  a  large  expanse  of  stagnant  waters.  Ko  gloom  of  forest 
or  wildness  of  mountain  is  so  overpowering  as  this  dreary, 
unrelieved  flatness — the  marshy  border,  the  sickly  vegetation 
of  the  shore,  the  leaden  color  which  even  the  sky  above  it 
wears,  tinged  by  its  sepulchral  atmosphere.  But  the  waters 
before  me  were  not  left  to  the  dreams  of  a  saddened  fancy — 
they  were  a  sepulcher.  Myriads  of  human  beings  lay  beneath 
them,  entombed  in  sulfurous  beds.  The  wrath  of  Heaven 
had  been  there !  The  day  of  destruction  seemed  to  pass  again 
before  my  eyes,  as  I  lay  gazing  upon  those  sullen  depths.  I 
saw  them  once  more  a  plain  covered  with  richness ;  cities  glit- 
tering in  the  morning  sun ;  multitudes  pouring  out  from  their 
gates  to  sports  and  festivals ;  the  land  exulting  with  life  and 
luxuriance :  Then  a  cloud  gathered  above.  I  heard  the 
thunder:  it  was  answered  by  the  earthquake.  Fire  burst 
from  the  skies :  it  was  answered  by  a  thousand  founts  of  fire 
spouting  from  the  plain.  The  distant  hills  blazed  and  threw 
volcanic  showers  over  the  cities.  Kound  them  was  a  tide  of 
burning  bitumen.  The  earthquake  heaved  again.  All  sank 
into  the  gulf.  I  heard  the  roar  of  the  distant  waters.  They 
rushed  into  the  bed  of  fire ;  the  doom  was  done ;  the  cities  of 

4  49 


Cbou  GUI  1  Come 


B  /ceding  the  plain  were  gone  down  to  the  blackness  of  darkness  for- 
ever! 

I  was  idly  watching  the  bursts  of  suffocating  vapor,  that 
shoot  up  at  intervals  from  the  rising  masses  of  bitumen,  when 
I  was  startled  by  a  wild  laugh  and  wilder  figure  beside  me. 
I  sprang  to  my  feet,  and  prepared  for  defense  with  my  pon- 
iard. The  figure  waved  its  hand,  in  sign  to  sheathe  the  unnec- 
essary weapon,  and  said,  in  a  tone  strange  and  melancholy : 
"  You  are  in  my  power,  but  I  do  not  come  to  injure  you.  T 
have  been  contemplating  your  countenance  for  some  time ;  I 
have  seen  your  disturbed  features — your  wringing  hands — 
your  convulsed  form — are  you  even  as  I  am?  " 

The  voice  was  singularly  mild ;  yet  I  never  heard  a  sound 
that  so  keenly  pierced  my  brain.  The  speaker  was  of  the 
tallest  stature  of  man — every  sinew  and  muscle  exhibiting  gi- 
gantic strength;  yet  with  the  symmetry  of  a  Greek  statue. 
But  his  countenance  was  the  true  wonder — it  was  of  the  finest 
mold  of  manly  beauty ;  the  contour  was  Greek,  though  the  hue 
was  Syrian — yet  the  dark  tinge  of  country  gave  way  at  times 
to  a  corpse-like  paleness.  I  had  full  leisure  for  the  view,  for 
he  stood  gazing  on  me  without  a  word  and  I  remained  fixed 
on  my  defense.  At  length  he  said :  "  Put  up  that  poniard ! 
You  could  no  more  hurt  me  than  you  could  resist  me.  Look 
here !  "  He  wrenched  a  huge  mass  of  rock  from  the  ground 
and  whirled  it  far  into  the  lake,  as  if  it  had  been  a  pebble.  I 
gazed  with  speechless  astonishment.  "Yes,"  pursued  the 
figure,  "they  throw  me  into  their  prisons — they  lash  me — 
they  stretch  me  on  the  rack — they  burn  my  flesh."  As  he 
spoke  he  flung  aside  his  robe  and  showed  his  broad  breast 
covered  with  scars.  "  Short-sighted  fools !  little  they  know 
him  who  suffers  or  him  who  commands.  If  it  were  not  my 
will  to  endure,  I  could  crush  my  tormentors  as  I  crush  an 
insect.  They  chain  me,  too,"  said  he  with  a  laugh  of  scorn. 
He  drew  out  the  arm  which  had  been  hitherto  wrapped  in  his 
robe.  It  was  loaded  with  heavy  links  of  iron.  He  grasped 
one  of  them  in  his  hand,  twisted  it  off  with  scarcely  an  effort, 
and  flung  it  up  a  sightless  distance  in  the  air.  "  Such  are 
bars  and  bolts  to  me !  When  my  time  is  come  to  suffer,  I 

50 


Salatbicl  Confronts  tbe  Sbafce  of  Snttocbus 

submit  to  be  tortured!     When  that  time  is  past,  I  tear  away     Saiatbtel 
their  fetters,  burst  their  dungeons,  and  walk  forth  trampling 
their  armed  men." 

I  sheathed  the  dagger.  "Does  this  strength  amaze  you?" 
said  the  being ;  "  look  to  yonder  dust " — and  he  pointed  to  a 
cloud  of  sand  that  came  flying  along  the  shore.  "  I  could 
outstrip  that  whirlwind;  I  could  plunge  unhurt  into  the 
depths  of  that  sea;  I  could  ascend  that  mountain  swifter 
than  the  eagle;  I  could  ride  that  thunder-cloud." 

As  he  threw  himself  back,  gazing  upon  the  sky  with  his 
grand  form  buoyant  with  vigor  and  his  arm  raised,  he  looked 
like  one  to  whom  height  or  depth  could  offer  no  obstacle. 
His  mantle  flew  out  along  the  blast,  like  the  unfurling  of  a 
mighty  wing.  There  was  something  in  his  look  and  voice 
that  gave  irresistible  conviction  to  his  words.  Conscious 
mastery  was  in  all  about  him.  I  should  not  have  felt  sur- 
prise to  see  him  spring  up  iuto  the  clouds! 

My  mind  grew  inflamed  by  his  presence.  My  blood  burned 
with  sensations  for  which  language  was  no  name — a  thirst 
of  power — a  scorn  of  earth — a  proud  and  fiery  longing  for 
the  command  of  the  hidden  mysteries  of  nature.  I  felt  as 
the  great  ancestor  of  mankind  might  have  felt  when  the 
tempter  told  him,  "  Ye  shall  be  even  as  gods. " 

"  Give  me  your  power !  "  I  exclaimed ;  "  the  world  to  me  is 
worthless ;  with  man  all  my  ties  are  broken ;  let  me  live  in 
the  desert,  and  be  even  as  you  are;  give  me  your  power." 
"My  power?"  he  repeated,  with  a  ghastly  laugh  that  was 
echoed  round  the  wilderness  by  what  seemed  voices  innumer- 
able until  it  died  away  in  a  distant  groan.  "  Look  on  this 
forehead !  " — he  threw  back  the  corner  of  his  mantle.  A  fur- 
row was  drawn  round  his  brow,  covered  with  gore,  and  ga- 
ping like  a  fresh  wound.  "  Here,"  cried  he,  "  sat  the  dia- 
dem. I  was  Epiphanes."  " 

"  You,  Antiochus !  the  tyrant — the  persecutor — the  spoiler 
— the  accursed  of  Israel !  "  I  bounded  backward  in  sudden 
horror.  I  saw  before  me  one  of  those  spirits  of  the  evil 
dead  who  are  allowed  from  time  to  time  to  reappear  on  earth 
in  the  body,  whether  of  the  dead  or  the  living.  For  some 

51 


(Tbou  £111  f  Come 


Bntio.  cause  that  none  could  unfold,  Judea  had  been,  within  the  last 
thus  promises  ^^  vearSj  }iaunted  by  those  beings  more  than  for  centuries. 
Strange  rites,  dangerously  borrowed  from  the  idolaters,  were 
resorted  to  for  our  relief  from  this  new  terror :  the  pulling  of 
the  mandrake  at  the  eclipse  of  the  moon — incantations — mid- 
night offerings — the  root  of  Baaras,  that  was  said  to  flash 
flame  and  kill  the  animal  that  drew  it  from  the  ground.  Our 
Sadducees  and  skeptics,  wise  in  their  own  conceit,  declared 
that  possession  was  but  a  human  disease,  a  wilder  insanity. 
But,  with  the  range  and  miseiy  of  madness,  there  were  tre- 
mendous distinctions,  which  raised  it  beyond  all  the  ravages  of 
the  hurt  mind  or  the  afflicted  frame — the  look,  the  language, 
the  horror,  of  the  possessed  were  above  man.  They  defied 
human  restraint ;  they  lived  in  wildernesses  where  the  very 
serpents  died ;  the  fiery  sun  of  the  East,  the  inclemency  of 
the  fiercest  winter,  had  no  power  to  break  down  their  strength. 
But  they  had  stronger  signs.  They  spoke  of  things  to  which 
the  wisdom  of  the  wisest  was  folly ;  they  told  of  the  remotest 
future,  with  the  force  of  prophecy ;  they  gave  glimpses  of  a 
knowledge  brought  from  realms  of  being  inaccessible  to  living 
man ;  last  and  loftiest  sign,  they  did  homage  to  His  coming, 
whom  a  cloud  of  darkness,  the  guilty  and  impenetrable  dark- 
ness of  the  heart,  had  veiled  from  my  unhappy  nation.  But 
their  worship  was  terror — they  believed  and  trembled. 

"  Power,"  said  the  possessed,  and  his  large  and  unmoving 
eyes  seemed  lighting  up  with  fire  from  within ;  "  power  you 
shall  have,  and  hate  it;  wealth  you  shall  have,  and  hate  it; 
life  you  shall  have,  and  hate  it;  yet  you  shall  know  the 
heights  and  depths  of  man.  You  shall  be  the  worm  among 
a  nation  of  worms ;  you  shall  be  steeped  in  ruin  to  the  lips ; 
you  shall  undergo  the  bitterness  of  death,  until —  His 

brow  writhed ;  he  gnashed  his  teeth,  and  convulsively  sprang 
from  the  ground,  as  if  an  arrow  had  shot  through  him. 

The  current  of  his  thoughts  suddenly  changed.  Things 
above  man  were  not  to  be  uttered  to  the  ear  unopened  by  the 
grave.  "  Come,"  said  he,  "  son  of  misfortune,  emblem  of  the 
nation  that  living  shall  die,  and  dying  shall  live ;  that,  tram- 
pled by  all,  shall  trample  upon  all;  that,  bleeding  from  a 

53 


Salatbiel  Confronts  tbe  Sbaoe  of  Snttocbus 

thousand  wounds,  shall  be  unhurt ;  that,  beggared,  shall  wield 
the  wealth  of  nations ;  that,  without  a  name,  shall  sway  the 
councils  of  kings;  that,  without  a  city,  shall  inhabit  in  all 
kingdoms;  that,  scattered  like  the  dust,  shall  be  bound  to- 
gether like  the  rock;  that,  perishing  by  the  sword,  by  the 
chain,  by  famine,  by  fire,  shall  yet  be  imperishable,  unnum- 
bered, glorious  as  the  stars  of  heaven." 

Overwhelmed  with  sensations,  rushing  in  a  flood  through  my 
heart,  I  had  cast  myself  upon  the  ground ;  the  flashing  of  the 
fiery  eye  before  me  consumed  my  blood ;  and,  fainting,  I  lay 
with  my  face  upon  the  sand.  But  his  words  were  deeply 
heard ;  with  every  sound  of  his  searching  voice  they  struck 
into  my  soul.  He  grasped  me ;  and  I  was  lifted  up  like  an 
infant  in  his  clutch.  "  Come,"  said  he,  "  and  see  what  is  re- 
served for  you  and  for  your  people." 

He  darted  forward  with  a  speed  that  took  away  my  breath ; 
he  ran — he  bounded — he  flew.  "Now,  behold,"  he  uttered 
in  an  accent  as  composed  as  if  he  had  not  moved  a  limb. 
I  looked,  and  found  myself  on  one  of  the  hills  close  to  the 
great  southern  gate  of  Jerusalem.  Years  had  passed  since  I 
ventured  so  nigh.  But  I  now  gazed  on  the  city  of  pomp  and 
beauty  with*  an  involuntary  wonder  that  I  could  have  ever 
deserted  a  scene  so  lovely  and  so  loved. 

It  was  the  twilight  of  a  summer  evening.  Tower  and  wall 
lay  bathed  in  a  sea  of  purple ;  the  Temple  rose  from  its  cen- 
ter like  an  island  of  light ;  the  host  of  heaven  came  riding  up 
the  blue  fields  above;  the  sounds  of  day  died  in  harmony. 
All  was  the  sweetness,  calmness,  and  splendor  of  a  vision 
painted  in  the  clouds. 

"  There,"  said  the  possessed,  "  I  was  once  master,  con- 
queror, avenger ;  yet  I  was  but  the  instrument  to  punish  your 
furious  dissensions — your  guilty  abandonment  of  the  law  of 
your  leader — your  more  than  Gentile  apostasy  from  the  wor- 
ship of  Him  who  is  to  be  worshiped  with  more  than  the 
blood  of  bulls  and  goats.  A  power  hidden  from  my  idola- 
trous eyes  went  before  me  and  broke  down  the  courage  of 
your  people.  I  marched  through  your  gates  on  the  neck  of 
the  godless  warrior ;  I  plundered  the  wealth  of  your  rich  men, 

53 


Cbou  Cill  1  Come 


H  prophecy  made  worldly  by  their  wealth ;  I  slew  your  priesthood,  al- 
re  ready  the  betrayers  of  their  altar ;  I  overthrew  your  places 
of  worship,  already  defiled;  I  covered  the  ruins  with  the 
blood  of  swine ;  I  raised  idols  in  the  sanctuary ;  I  bore  away 
the  golden  vessels  of  the  Temple,  and  gave  them  to  the  insult 
of  the  Syrian ;  I  slew  your  males,  I  made  captives  of  your 
women;  I  abolished  your  sacrifices,  and  pronounced  in  my 
hour  of  blasphemy  that  within  the  walls  of  Jerusalem  the 
flame  should  never  again  be  kindled  to  the  Supreme.  The  deed 
was  mine,  but  the  cause  was  the  iniquity  of  your  people." 

The  history  of  devastation  roused  in  me  those  feelings  na- 
tive to  the  Jew  by  which  I  had  been  taught  to  look  with  ab- 
horrence on  the  devastator. 

"  Let  me  be  gone,"  I  exclaimed,  struggling  from  his  grasp. 
"  Strange  and  terrible  being,  let  me  hear  no  more  this  outrage 
on  God  and  man.  I  am  guilty,  too  guilty,  in  having  listened 
to  you  for  a  moment." 

He  laid  his  hand  upon  my  brow,  and  I  felt  my  strength  dis- 
solve at  the  touch. 

"  Go,"  said  he,  "  but  first  be  a  witness  of  the  future.  A 
fiercer  destroyer  than  Epiphanes  shall  come,  to  punish  a  darker 
crime  than  ever  stained  your  forefathers.  A  destruction  shall 
come  to  which  the  past  was  the  sport  of  children.  Tower  and 
wall,  citadel  and  temple,  shall  be  dust.  The  sword  shall  do 
its  work — the  chain  shall  do  its  work — the  flame  shall  do  its 
work.  Bad  spirits  shall  rejoice;  good  spirits  shall  weep;  Is- 
rael shall  be  clothed  in  sackcloth  and  ashes  for  a  time,  im- 
penetrable by  a  created  eye.  The  world  shall  exult,  trample, 
scorn,  and  slay.  Blindness,  madness,  and  misery  shall  be 
the  portion  of  the  people.  Now,  behold!  " 

He  stood,  with  his  arm  stretched  out  toward  the  Temple. 
All  before  me  was  tranquillity  itself;  night  had  suddenly 
fallen  deeper  than  usual;  the  stars  had  been  wrapped  in 
clouds,  that  yet  gathered  without  a  wind;  a  faint  tinge  of 
light  from  the  summit  of  Mount  Moriah,  the  gleam  of  the 
never-extinguished  altar  of  the  daily  sacrifice,  alone  marked 
the  central  court  of  the  Temple.  I  turned  from  the  almost 
deathlike  stillness  of  the  scene,  with  a  look  of  involuntary 

64 


Salatbiel  Confronts  tbe  SbaOe  of  Bntfocbus 

disbelief,  to  the  face  of  my  fearful  guide ;  even  in  the  deep  ubc 
darkness  every  feature  of  it  was  strangely  visible. 

A  low  murmur  from  the  city  caught  my  ear ;  it  rapidly  grew 
loud,  various,  wild ;  it  was  soon  intermingled  with  the  clash  of 
arms.  Trumpets  now  rang ;  I  recognized  the  charging  shout 
of  the  Eomans ;  I  heard  the  tumultuous  roar  of  my  country- 
men in  return.  The  darkness  was  converted  into  light; 
torches  blazed  along  the  battlements ;  the  Tower  of  Antonia, 
the  Roman  citadel,  with  its  massy  bulwarks  and  immense  al- 
titude, rose  from  a  tossing  expanse  of  flame  below  like  a  co- 
lossal funeral-pile ;  I  could  see  on  its  summit  the  alarm,  the 
rapid  signals,  the  hasty  snatching  up  of  spear  and  shield,  the 
confusion  of  the  garrison  which  that  night's  vengeance  was 
to  offer  up  on  the  pile.  The  roar  of  battle  rose,  it  deepened 
into  cries  of  agony,  it  swelled  again  into  furious  exulta- 
tion  

I  thought  of  my  countrymen  butchered  by  some  new  caprice 
of  power ;  of  my  kinsmen,  perhaps  at  that  instant  involved  in 
the  massacre ;  of  the  city,  every  stone  and  beam  of  which  was 
dear  to  my  embittered  heart,  given  up  to  the  vengeance  of  the 
idolater !  The  prediction  of  its  ruin  was  in  my  ears,  and  I 
longed  to  perish  with  my  tribe.  I  panted  with  every  shout 
of  the  battle ;  every  new  sheet  of  flame  that  rolled  upward 
from  the  burning  houses  fevered  me ;  I  longed  to  rush  into 
the  uproar  with  the  speed  of  the  whirlwind.  But  the  ter- 
rible hand  was  still  upon  my  forehead,  and  I  was  feeble  as  a 
broken  reed.  "Behold,"  said  the  possessed,  "those  are  but 
the  beginnings  of  evil."  I  felt  a  sudden  return  of  my 
strength ;  I  looked  up ;  he  was  gone  1 


55 


CHAPTER  DC 

The  Romans  Driven  from  the  Holy  City 


^  PLUNGED  in*°  tbe  valley,  and  found  it  filled  with  fugi- 
tives, incapable  from  terror  of  giving  me  any  account  of  the 
conflict.  Women  and  children,  hastily  thrown  on  the  mules 
and  camels,  continued  to  pour  through  the  country.  The 
road  wound  through  hills,  and  tho  sometimes  approaching 
near  enough  to  the  walls  to  be  illuminated  by  the  blaze  of  the 
torches  and  beacons,  yet,  from  its  general  darkness  and  intri- 
cacy, I  was  left  to  make  my  way  by  the  sounds  of  the  strug- 
gle. But  I  was  quickly  within  reach  of  ample  evidence  of 
what  was  doing  in  that  night  of  havoc.  The  bend  of  the 
road,  from  which  the  first  view  of  the  grand  portico  was  seen, 
had  been  the  rallying-point  for  the  multitude  driven  out  by  the 
unexpected  resistance  of  the  garrison.  The  tide  of  fight  had 
thence  ebbed  and  flowed,  and  I  found  the  spot  covered  with 
the  dead  and  dying.  In  my  haste,  I  fell  over  one  of  the 
wounded  ;  he  groaned  and  prayed  me  for  a  cup  of  water.  I 
"knew  the  voice  of  Jairus,  one  of  the  boldest  of  our  mountain- 
eers, and  bore  him  to  the  hillside  that  he  might  not  be  tram- 
pled by  the  crowd.  He  thanked  me,  and  said  :  "  If  you  be  a 
man  of  Israel,  fly  to  Eleazar.  Take  this  spear  —  another  mo- 
ment may  be  too  late."  I  seized  the  spear  and  sprang  for- 
ward. 

The  multitude  had  repelled  the  Romans  and  forced  them  up 
the  broad  central  street  of  the  city.  But  a  reenf  orcement  from 
the  Tower  of  Antonia  had  joined  the  troops,  and  were  driv- 
ing back  the  victors  with  ruinous  disorder.  I  heard  the  war- 
cries  of  the  tribes  as  they  called  to  the  rescue,  and  the  charge, 
"  Onward,  Judah  !  "  "  Ho,  for  Zebulun  !  "  "  Glory  to  Naph- 
tali  !  "  I  thought  of  the  times  of  Jewish  triumph,  and  saw 

56 


IRomans  S>rfven  from  tbe  "fcolg  Cits 


before  me  the  warriors  of  the  Maccabees.     Nerved  with  new      Saiatbfel 

sensations,  the   strong   instincts  which  make  the  war-horse 

paw  the  ground  at  the  trumpet  and  make  men  rush  headlong 

upon  death,  heightened  by  the  stinging  recollections  of  our 

days  of  freedom,  I  forced  my  path  through  the  multitude 

that  tossed  and  whirled  like  the  eddies  of  the  ocean.     I  found 

my  kinsmen  in  front,  battling  desperately  against  the  long 

spears  of  a  Roman  column,  that,  solid  as  iron,  and  favored 

by  the  higher  ground,  was  pressing  down  all  before  it.     The 

resistance  was  heroic,  but  unavailing  ;  and  when  I  burst  for- 

ward, I  found  at  my  side  nothing  but  faces  dark  with  despair 

or  covered  with  wounds.     In  front  was  a  wall  of  shields  and 

helmets,  glaring  in  the  light  of  the  conflagration  that  was 

now  rapidly  spreading  on  all  sides.     The  air  was  scorching, 

the  smoke  rolling  against  us  in  huge  volumes  ;  burning  and 

loss  of  blood  were  consuming  the  multitude.     But  what  is 

in  the  strength  of  the  soldier  or  the  bravery  of  discipline  to 

daunt  the  desperate  energy  of  men  fighting  for  their  country 

—  and,  above  all  men,  of  the  Israelite,  fighting  in  sight  of  the 

profaned  Temple?     The  native  frame,  exercised  by  the  habits 

of  our  temperate  and  agricultural  life,  was  one  of  surpassing 

muscular  strength  ;  and  man  for  man  thrown  naked  into  the 

field,  we  could  have  torn  the  Roman  garrison  into  fragments 

for  the  fowls  of  the  air.     But  their  arms,  and  the  help  which 

they  received  from  the  nature  of  the  ground,  were  too  strong 

for  the  assault  of  men  fighting  with  no  shield  but  their  cloaks 

and  no  arms  but  a  pilgrim's  staff  or  some  weapon  caught  up 

from  a  dead  enemy. 

Yet  on  me  there  came  a  wild  impression  that  this  night 
was  to  make  or  unmake  me  ;  an  undefined  feeling  that  in  the 
shedding  of  my  blood  in  sight  of  the  Temple  there  might  be 
some  palliative,  some  washing  away  of  my  crime.  I  sprang 
forward  between  the  combatants  and  defied  the  boldest  of  the 
legionaries;  the  battle  paused  for  an  instant,  and  my  name 
was  shouted  in  exultation  by  ten  thousand  voices.  A  shower 
of  lances  from  the  battlements  was  instantly  poured  upon  me. 
I  felt  myself  wounded,  but  the  feeling  only  roused  me  to 
bolder  daring.  Tearing  off  my  gory  mantle,  I  lifted  it  on  the 

57 


Cbou  Uill  f  Come 


Ubc  2>eatb  of  point  of  my  javelin,  and,  with  the  poniard  in  my  right  hand, 
a-Cribi!mc      devoted  the  Romans  to  ruin  in  the  name  of  the  Temple. 

The  enemy,  in  their  native  superstition,  shrank  from  a 
being  who  looked  the  messenger  of  angry  Heaven.  The  naked 
figure,  the  blood  streaming  from  my  wounds,  the  wild  and 
mystic  sound  of  my  words,  might  have  reminded  them  of  the 
diviners  who  had  often  terrorized  their  souls  in  their  own 
land.  I  burst  into  the  circle  of  their  spears,  waving  my 
standard  and  calling  on  my  nation  to  follow.  I  smote  to  the 
right  and  left.  The  entrance  that  I  had  made  in  the  iron  bul- 
wark was  instantly  filled  by  the  multitude.  All  discipline 
now  gave  way.  The  weight  of  the  Roman  armor  was  ruinous 
to  men  grappled  hand  to  hand  by  the  light  and  sinewy  agility 
of  the  Jew.  We  rushed  on,  trampling  down  cuirass  and 
buckler,  till  we  drove  the  enemy  like  sheep  before  us  to  the 
first  gate  of  the  Tower  of  Antonia.  Arrows,  lances,  stones, 
in  showers  from  the  battlements,  then  could  not  stop  the  valor 
of  the  people.  We  rushed  on  to  assault  the  gate.  Sabinus, 
the  tribune  of  the  legion,  rallied  the  remnant  of  the  fugitives, 
and  under  cover  of  the  battlements  made  a  last  attempt  to 
change  the  fortunes  of  the  night.  .Exhausted  as  I  was,  bruised 
and  bleeding,  my  feet  and  hands  lacerated  with  the  burning 
ruins,  my  tongue  cleaving  to  my  mouth  with  deadly  thirst,  I 
rushed  upon  him.  He  had  been  known  to  the  Jews  as  a  ty- 
rant and  plunderer  for  the  many  years  of  his  command.  No 
trophy  of  the  battle  could  have  been  so  cheering  to  them  as 
his  head.  But  he  had  the  bravery  of  his  country,  and  it  was 
now  augmented  by  rage.  The  despair  of  being  able  to  clear 
himself  before  imperial  jealousy  for  that  night's  disasters 
must  have  made  life  worthless  to  him.  He  bounded  on  the 
drawbridge  at  my  cry.  Our  meeting  was  brief ;  my  poniard 
broke  on  his  cuirass ;  his  falchion  descended  with  a  blow  that 
would  have  cloven  a  headpiece  of  steel.  I  sprang  aside  and 
caught  it  on  the  shaft  of  my  javelin  standard,  which  it  cut 
clear  in  two.  I  returned  the  blow  with  the  fragment.  The 
iron  pierced  his  throat ;  he  flung  up  his  hands,  staggered  back, 
and  dropped  dead.  The  roar  of  Israel  rent  the  heavens ! 
Scarcely  more  alive  than  the  trunk  at  my  feet,  I  fell  back 

68 


"Romans  Driven  from  tbe  t>olg  Citg 


among  the  throng.  But  whatever  may  be  the  envy  of  courts,  jeieasar 
no  injustice  is  done  in  the  field.  The  successful  leader  is  sure 
of  his  reward  from  the  gallant  spirits  that  he  has  conducted 
to  victory.  I  was  hailed  with  shouts  —  I  was  lifted  on  the 
shoulders  of  the  multitude  ;  the  men  of  Naphtali  proudly 
claimed  me  for  their  own,  and  when  I  clasped  the  hand  of 
my  brave  friend  Jubal,  whom  I  found  in  the  foremost  rank, 
covered  with  dust  and  blood,  he  exclaimed:  "Remember 
Barak  ;  remember  Mount  Tabor  !  " 

I  looked  round  in  vain  for  one  with  whom  I  had  parted 
but  a  few  days  before,  and  without  whom  I  scarcely  dared 
to  meet  Miriam.  Her  noble  brother  was  not  to  be  seen. 
Had  he  fallen?  Jubal  understood  my  countenance,  and 
mournfully  pointed  to  the  citadel,  which  rose  above  us, 
frowning  down  on  our  impotent  rage. 

"Eleazar  is  a  prisoner?  "  I  asked. 

"There  can  be  110  hope  for  him  from  the  hypocritical 
clemency  of  those  barbarians  of  Italy,"  was  the  answer; 
"it  was  with  him  that  the  insurrection  began.  Some  new 
Roman  insolence  had  commanded  that  our  people  should 
offer  a  sacrifice  to  the  image  of  the  emperor  —  to  the  polluted, 
bloodthirsty  tyrant  of  Rome  and  mankind.  Eleazar  shrank 
from  this  act  of  horror.  The  tribune,  that  dog  of  Rome, 
whose  tongue  you  have  silenced  —  so  may  perish  all  the  ene- 
mies of  the  Holy  City  !  —  commanded  that  our  chieftain  should 
be  scourged  at  the  altar.  The  cords  were  round  his  arms  ; 
the  spearmen  were  at  his  back  ;  they  marched  him  through 
the  streets  calling  on  all  the  Jews  to  look  upon  the  punish- 
ment that  was  equally  reserved  for  all.  Our  indignation 
burst  forth  in  groans  and  prayers.  I  hastily  gathered  the 
males  of  our  tribe  ;  we  snatched  up  what  arms  we  could,  and 
were  rushing  to  his  rescue  when  we  saw  him  sweeping  the 
guard  before  him.  He  had  broken  his  bands  by  a  desperate 
effort.  We  fell  upon  the  pursuers.  Blood  was  now  drawn, 
and  we  knew  the  vengeance  of  the  Romans.  To  break  up 
and  scatter  through  the  country  would  have  been  only  to  give 
our  throats  to  their  cavalry.  Eleazar  determined  to  anticipate 
the  attack.  Messengers  were  sent  round  to  the  leaders  of  the 


Cbou  Citl  U  Come 


•Cbe  moment  tribes,  and  the  seizure  of  the  Roman  fortress  was  resolved 
of  execution  QIJ  ^Q  gathered  at  nightfall  aud  drove  in  the  outposts. 
But  the  garrison  was  now  roused.  We  were  beaten  down  by 
a  storm  of  darts  and  javelins,  and  must  have  been  undone 
but  for  your  appearance.  In  the  first  onset,  Eleazar,  while 
cheering  us  to  the  charge,  was  struck  by  a  stone  from  an  en- 
gine. I  saw  him  fall  among  a  circle  of  the  enemy,  and  has- 
tened to  his  rescue,  but  when  I  reached  the  spot  he  was 
gone,  and  my  last  sight  of  him  was  at  yonder  gate,  as  he  was 
borne  in,  waving  his  hand— his  last  farewell  to  Naphtali." 

Deep  silence  followed  his  broken  accents;  he  hung  his 
head  on  his  hand,  and  the  tears  glistened  through  his  fingers. 
The  circle  of  brave  men  round  us  wrapped  their  heads  in  their 
mantles.  I  could  not  contain  the  bitterness  of  my  soul. 
Years  had  cemented  my  friendship  for  the  virtuous  and  gen- 
erous-hearted brother  of  my  beloved.  He  had  borne  with 
my  waywardness — he  had  done  all  that  man  could  do  to 
soften  my  heart,  to  enlighten  my  darkness,  to  awaken  me  to 
a  wisdom  surpassing  rubies.  I  lifted  up  my  voice  and  wept. 
The  brazen  blast  of  a  trumpet  from  the  battlements  suddenly 
raised  all  our  eyes.  Troops  moved  slowly  along  the  walls  of 
the  fortress;  they  ascended  the  central  tower.  Their  ranks 
opened,  and  in  the  midst  was  seen  by  the  torch-light  a  man 
of  Israel.  They  had  brought  him  to  that  place  of  exposure, 
in  the  double  cruelty  of  increasing  his  torture  and  ours  by 
death  in  the  presence  of  the  people.  A  universal  groan  burst 
from  below.  He  felt  it,  and  meekly  pointed  with  his  hand 
to  that  Heaven  where  no  tortures  shall  disturb  the  peace  of 
the  departed.  The  startling  sound  of  the  trumpet  stung  the 
ear  again — it  was  the  signal  for  execution.  I  saw  the  archer 
advance  to  take  aim  at  him.  He  drew  the  shaft.  Almost 
unconsciously  I  seized  a  sling  from  the  hands  of  one  of  our 
tribe.  I  whirled  it.  The  archer  dropped  dead,  with  the 
arrow  still  on  his  bow. 

To  those  who  had  not  seen  the  cause,  the  effect  was  almost 
a  miracle.  The  air  pealed  with  acclamation;  a  thousand 
slings  instantly  swept  the  escort  from  the  battlements ;  the 
walls  were  left  naked — ladders  were  raised — ropes  were  slung 

60 


Cbe  "Romans  Driven  from  tbe  Ibolg  Cttg 

— axes  were    brandished ;    the    activity   of   our   hunters    and  Ube  iRescue  of 

lElca'ar 

mountaineers  availed  itself  of  every  crevice  and  projection  of 
the  walls;  they  climbed  on  each  other's  shoulders;  they  leaped 
from  point  to  point,  where  the  antelope  could  have  scarcely 
found  footing ;  they  ran  over  narrow  and  fenced  walls  and 
curtains,  where,  in  open  daylight  and  with  his  senses  awake 
to  the  danger,  no  man  could  have  moved.  Torches  without 
number  now  shoAvered  upon  all  that  was  combustible.  At 
length,  the  central  rower  took  fire.  We  fought  no  longer  in 
darkness ;  the  flames  rolled  sheet  on  sheet  above  our  heads, 
throwing  light  over  the  whole  horizon.  We  were  soon  in  no 
want  of  help ;  the  tribes  poured  in  at  the  sight  of  the  confla- 
gration, and  no  valor  could  resist  their  enthusiasm.  Some 
cried  out  that  they  saw  beings  mightier  than  man  descending 
to  fight  the  battle  of  the  favored  nation ;  some  that  the  day 
of  Joshua  had  returned,  and  that  a  light  of  more  than  earthly 
luster  was  visible  in  the  burning!  But  the  battle  was  no 
longer  doubtful.  The  Romans,  reduced  in  number  by  the 
struggle  in  the  streets,  exhausted  by  the  last  attack,  and 
aware,  from  the  destruction  of  their  magazines,  that  their  most 
successful  resistance  must  be  ended  by  famine,  called  out  for 
terms.  I  had  but  one  answer — "The  life  of  Eleazar."  13  The 
drawbridge  fell  and  he  appeared — the  next  moment  he  was  in 
my  arms ! 

The  garrison  marched  out.  I  restrained  the  violence  of 
their  conquerors,  irritated  by  the  memory  of  years  of  insult. 
Not  a  hair  of  a  Roman  head  was  touched.  They  were  led 
down  to  the  valley  of  Kedron,  where  they  were  disarmed,  and 
thence  sent  without  delay  under  a  safeguard  to  their  country- 
men in  Idumea.  In  one  night  the  Holy  City  was  cleared  of 
every  foot  of  the  idolater. 


61 


CHAPTER  X 
The  Fall  of  Onias 

»fter  tbc  WHILE  the  people  were  in  a  state  of  the  wildest  triumph, 
on  ct  the  joy  of  their  leaders  was  tempered  by  many  formidable 
reflections.  The  power  of  the  enemy  was  still  unshaken; 
the  surprise  of  a  single  garrison,  tho  a  distinguished  evidence 
of  what  might  be  done  by  native  valor,  was  trivial  on  the 
scale  of  a  war  that  must  be  conducted  against  the  mistress 
of  the  civilized  world.  The  policy  of  Rome  was  known ;  she 
never  gave  up  a  conquest  while  it  could  be  retained  by  the 
most  lavish  and  persevering  expenditure  of  her  strength.  Her 
treasury  would  be  stripped  of  every  talent,  and  Italy  left 
without  a  soldier,  before  she  would  surrender  the  most  fruit- 
less spot,  an  acre  of  sand  or  a  point  of  rock  in  Judea. 

I  went  forth,  but  not  among  the  leaders  nor  among  the 
people ;  I  turned  away  equally  from  the  council  and  the  tri- 
umph. A  deeper  feeling  urged  me  to  wander  round  those 
courts  where  my  spirit  had  so  often  turned  in  my  exile.  The 
battle  had  reached  even  there,  and  the  pollution  of  blood  was 
on  the  consecrated  ground.  The  Roman  soldiers,  in  their  ad- 
vance, had  driven  the  people  to  take  refuge  in  the  cloisters  of 
the  Temple,  and  the  dead  lying  thickly  among  the  columns 
showed  how  fierce  even  that  brief  and  partial  struggle  had 
been.  With  a  torch  in  my  hand,  I  trod  through  those  heaps 
of  what  once  was  man  to  have  one  parting  look  at  the  scene 
where  I  had  passed  so  many  blameless  hours.  I  stood  before 
the  porch  of  my  own  cloister,  almost  listening  for  the  sound 
of  the  familiar  voices  within.  The  long  interval  of  time  was 
compressed  into  an  instant. 

I  awoke  from  this  reverie  with  something  like  scorn  at  the 
idleness  of  human  fancy,  and  struck  open  the  door.  There 
was  no  answer;  but  the  bolts,  loosened  by  time,  gave  way, 


Cbe  ffall  of  ©nias 


and  I  was  again  the  master  of  my  mansion.  It  had  been  un- 
inhabited since  my  flight ;  why,  I  could  not  conceive.  But  as 
I  passed  from  room  to  room  I  found  them  all  as  if  they  had 
been  left  but  the  hour  before.  The  embroidery,  which  Miriam 
wrought  with  a  skill  distinguished  even  among  the  daughters 
of  the  Temple,  was  still  fixed  in  its  frame  before  the  silken 
couch ;  there  lay  the  harp  that  relieved  her  hours  of  graceful 
toil ;  the  tissued  sandals  were  waiting  for  the  delicate  feet ; 
the  veil,  the  vermilion  mantle  that  designated  her  rank,  the 
tabor,  the  armlets  and  necklaces  of  precious  stones,  still  hung 
upon  the  tripods,  untouched  by  the  spoiler.  There  was  but 
one  evidence  of  time  among  them — but  that  bore  its  bitter 
moral.  It  was  the  dust  that  hung  heavy  upon  the  curtains 
of  precious  needlework  and  chilled  the  richness  of  the  Tyrian 
purple — decay,  that  teacher  without  a  tongue,  the  lonely  em- 
blem of  what  the  bustle  of  mankind  must  come  to  at  last ;  the 
dull  memorial  of  the  proud,  the  beautiful,  the  brave !  All  was 
the  silence  of  the  tomb !  With  the  torch  in  my  hand,  throw- 
ing its  red  reflection  on  the  walls  and  remembrances  round  me, 
I  sat,  like  the  mummy  of  an  Egyptian  king  in  the  sepulcher — 
in  the  midst  of  the  things  that  I  had  loved,  yet  forever  di- 
vorced from  them  by  an  irresistible  law ! 

I  impatiently  broke  forth  into  the  open  air.  The  stars 
were  waning ;  a  gray  streak  of  dawn  was  whitening  the  sum- 
mit of  the  Mount  of  Olives.  As  I  passed  by  Herod's  palace 
and  lifted  my  eyes  in  wonder  at  the  unusual  sight  of  a  group 
of  Jews  keeping  watch,  where  but  the  day  before  the  Koman 
governor  lorded  it  and  none  but  the  Koman  soldier  durst 
stand,  I  saw  Jubal  hurrying  out  and  making  signs  to  me 
through  the  crowd,  from  the  esplanade  above.  I  was  instant- 
ly recognized,  and  all  made  way  for  my  ascent  up  those  gor- 
geous and  almost  countless  steps  of  porphyry  that  formed 
one  of  the  wonders  of  Jerusalem. 

"  We  have  been  in  alarm  about  you,"  said  he  hastily;  "  but 
come  to  the  council ;  we  have  wasted  half  the  night  in  per- 
plexing ourselves.  Some  are  timid,  and  call  out  for  submis- 
sion on  any  terms;  some  are  rash,  and  would  plunge  us 
unprepared  into  the  Roman  camps.  There  are  obviously 


Ube  "Return 

"borne 
of  Salatbiel 


Cbou  £ill  11  Come 


»  wast  many  who  without  regard  for  the  hope  of  freedom  or  the  holi- 
ness of  our  cause,  look  upon  the  crisis  only  as  a  means  of  per- 
sonal aggrandizement.  And  lastly,  we  are  not  without  our 
traitors,  who  confound  all  opinions  and  who  are  making 
work  for  Roman  gold  and  iron.  Your  voice  will  decide. 
Speak  at  once,  and  speak  our  mind ;  your  kinsmen  will  sup- 
port it  with  their  lives." 

The  council  was  held  in  the  amphitheater  of  the  palace. 
The  heads  of  families  and  principal  men  of  the  people  had 
crowded  into  it  until  the  council,  instead  of  the  privacy  of 
a  few  chieftains,  assumed  the  look  of  a  great  popular  assembly. 
Tens  of  thousands  had  forced  themselves  into  the  seats ;  every 
bosom  responding  to  every  accent  of  the  orator,  a  mighty  in- 
strument vibrating  through  all  its  strings  to  the  master's  hand. 
Accustomed  as  I  was,  by  the  festivals  of  our  nation,  to  the 
sight  of  great  bo'dies  of  men  swayed  by  a  common  impulse,  I 
stopped  in  astonishment  at  the  entrance  of  the  colossal  cir- 
cle. Three-fourths  of  it  was  almost  totally  dark,  giving  a 
shadowy  intimation  of  human  beings  by  the  light  of  a  few 
scattered  torches,  or  the  feeble  dawn  that  rounded  the  ex- 
treme height  with  a  ring  of  pale  and  moon-like  rays.  But 
in  the  center  of  the  arena  a  fire  blazed,  and  showed  the  lead- 
ers of  the  deliberation  seated  in  the  splendid  chairs  once 
assigned  to  the  Roman  governors  and  legionary  tribunes. 
Eleazar  filled  the  temporary  throne. 

The  chief  man  of  the  land  of  Ephraim  was  haranguing  the 
assembly  as  I  entered.  "Go  to  war  with  Rome!""  pro- 
nounced he ;  "  you  might  as  well  go  to  war  with  the  ocean, 
for  her  power  is  as  wide;  you  might  as  well  fight  the  storm, 
for  her  vengeance  is  as  rapid ;  you  might  as  well  call  up  the 
armies  of  Judea  against  the  pestilence,  for  her  sword  is  as 
sweeping,  as  sudden,  and  as  sure.  Who  but  madmen  would 
go  to  war  without  allies?  and  where  are  yours  to  be  looked 
for?  Rome  is  the  mistress  of  all  nations.  Would  you  make 
a  war  of  fortresses?  Rome  has  in  her  possession  all  your 
walled  towns.  Every  tower  from  Dan  to  Beersheba  has  a 
Roman  banner  on  its  battlements.  Would  you  meet  her  in 
the  plain?  Where  are  your  horsemen?  The  Roman  cavalry 

64 


"  The  archer  dropped  dead,  with  the  arrow  still  on  his  bow." 

[see  page  do. 


Copyright,  1901,  by  Funk  A  W».  .1  London. 


-  ".wod  aid  no  Hit?  wons  srlJ  Hfiw  .bssb't 
x^j 

•nary  tril> 


Copyright,  1901,  by  Funk  &  WaEnal1s  Company,  N.  Y.  and  London. 


would  be  upon  you  before  you  could  draw  your  swords,  and  Ube 
would  trample  you  into  the  sand.  Would  you  make  the  cam-  °  ome 
paign  in  the  mountains?  The  Roman  generals  would  disdain 
to  waste  a  drop  of  blood  upon  you ;  they  would  only  have 
to  block  up  the  passes  and  leave  famine  to  do  the  rest.  Har- 
vest is  not  come,  and  if  it  were,  you  dare  not  descend  to  the 
plains  to  gather  it.  You  are  told  to  rely  upon  the  strength 
of  the  country.  Have  the  fiery  sands  of  the  desert,  or  the 
marshes  of  Germany,  or  the  snows  of  Scythia,  or  the  stormy 
waters  of  Britain  defended  them  ?  Does  Egypt,  within  your 
sight,  give  you, no  example?  A  land  of  inexhaustible  fer- 
tility, crowded  with  seven  millions  of  men  passionately  de- 
voted to  their  country,  opulent,  brave,  and  sustained  by  the 
countless  millions  of  Africa,  with  a  country  defended  on  both 
flanks  by  the  wilderness,  in  the  rear  inaccessible  to  the 
Roman,  exposing  the  narrowest  and  most  defensible  front  of 
any  nation  on  earth ;  yet  Egypt,  in  spite  of  the  Libyan  valor 
and  the  Greek  genius,  is  garrisoned  at  this  hour  by  a  single 
Roman  legion!  The  Roman  bird  grasping  the  thunder  in 
its  talons,  and  touching  with  one  wing  the  sunrise  and  with 
the  other  the  sunset,  throws  its  shadow  over  the  world. 
Shall  we  call  it  to  stoop  upon  us?  Must  we  spread  for  it  the 
new  banquet  of  the  blood  of  Israel?  " 

How  different  is  the  power  of  speech  upon  men  sitting  in 
the  common,  peaceful  circumstances  of  public  assemblage, 
from  its  tyranny  over  minds  anxious  about  their  own  fates ! 
All  that  I  had  ever  seen  of  public  excitement  was  stone  and 
ice  to  the  burning  interest  that  hung  upon  every  word  of  the 
orator.  The  name  of  Ouias  was  famous  in  Judea,  but  I  now 
saw  him  for  the  first  time.  His  had  been  a  life  of  ambition, 
compassed  often  by  desperate  means,  and  wo  be  to  the  man 
who  stood  between  him  and  his  object.  By  the  dagger  and 
by  subserviency  to  the  Roman  procurators  he  had  risen  to  the 
highest  rank  below  the  throne.  In  the  distractions  of  a  time 
which  broke  off  the  regular  succession  of  the  sons  of  Aaron, 
Onias  had  even  been  High  Priest;  but  Eleazar,  heading  the 
popular  indignation,  had  expelled  him  from  the  Temple  after 
one  month  of  troubled  supremacy.  I  could  read  his  history 

5  65 


Cbou  Gill  1T  Come 


•Cbe  influence  in  the  haughty  figure  and  daring  yet  wily  visage  that  stood 
in  bold  relief  before  the  central  flarne.  But  to  the  assem- 
blage his  declamation  had  infinite  power;  they  listened  as  to 
the  words  of  life  and  death ;  they  had  come,  not  to  delight 
their  ears  with  showy  periods,  but  to  hear  what  they  must 
do  to  escape  that  inexorable  fury  which  might  within  a  few 
days  or  hours  be  let  loose  upon  every  individual  head.  All 
was  alternately  the  deepest  silence  and  the  most  tumultuous 
agitation.  At  his  strong  appeals  they  writhed  their  athletic 
forms,  they  gnashed  their  teeth,  they  tore  their  hair;  some 
crouched  to  the  ground  with  their  faces  buried  in  their  hands, 
as  if  shutting  out  the  coming  horrors ;  some  started  upright, 
brandishing  their  rude  weapons  and  tossing  their  naked 
limbs  in  gestures  of  defiance;  some  sat  bending  down  and 
throwing  back  their  long  locks,  that  not  a  syllable  might  es- 
cape ;  others  knelt,  with  their  quivering  hands  clasped  and 
their  pallid  countenances  turned  up  in  agony  of  prayer. 
Many  had  been  wounded,  and  their  foreheads  and  limbs, 
hastily  bound  up,  were  still  stained  with  gore.  Turbans  and 
robes,  rent  and  discolored  with  dust  and  burning,  were  on 
every  side,  and  the  whole  immense  multitude  bore  the  look  of 
men  who  had  but  just  struggled  out  of  some  great  calamity 
to  find  themselves  on  the  verge  of  one  .still  more  irremediable. 
The  orator  found  that  his  impression  was  made,  and  he 
hastened  to  the  close.  For  this  he  reserved  the  sting.  "  If 
it  be  the  desire  of  those  who  seek  the  downfall  of  Judah  that 
we  should  go  to  war,  let  it  be  the  first  wisdom  of  those  who 
seek  its  safety  to  disappoint,  to  defy,  and  to  denounce  them." 
The  words  were  followed  by  a  visible  movement  among  the 
hearers.  "  Let  an  embassy  be  instantly  sent  to  the  proconsul," 
said  he,  "lamenting  the  excesses  of  the  night  and  offering 
hostages  for  peace."  The  silence  grew  breathless ;  the  orator, 
wrapped  in  his  robe,  and  bending  his  head,  like  a  tiger 
crouching,  waited  for  the  work  of  the  passions ;  then  sudden- 
ly starting  up  and  fixing  his  stormy  gaze  full  on  Eleazar, 
thundered  out :  "  And  at  the  head  of  those  hostages,  let  the 
incendiary  who  caused  this  night's  havoc  be  sent,  and  sent 
in  chains ! " 

66 


tTbe  ffall  of  ©nias 


The  words  were  received  with  fierce  applause  by  the  assem-  Saiatbid 
blage,  aud  crowds  rushed  into  the  arena  to  enforce  them  by 
the  seizure  of  Eleazar.  I  glanced  at  him ;  his  life  hung  by  a 
hair,  but  not  a  feature  of  his  noble  countenance  was  disturbed. 
I  sprang  upon  the  pavement  at  the  foot  of  the  throne ;  every 
moment  was  precious;  the  multitude  were  raging  with  the 
fury  of  wild  beasts.  My  voice  was  at  length  heard ;  the  name 
of  Salathiel  had  become  powerful,  and  the  tumult  partially 
subsided.  My  words  were  few,  but  they  came  from  the  heart. 
I  asked  them,  was  it  to  be  thought  of  that  they  should  deliver 
up  men  of  their  own  nation,  of  their  purest  blood,  the  last 
scions  of  the  noblest  families  of  Israel,  into  the  hands  of  the 
idolater!  And  for  what  crime?  For  an  act  which  every  true 
Israelite  would  glory  to  have  done :  for  rescuing  the  altar  of 
the  living  God  from  pollution.  I  bade  them  beware  of  dip- 
ping their  hands  in  righteous  blood,  for  the  gratification  of  a 
revenge  that  had  for  twenty  years  poisoned  the  breast  of  a 
hoary  traitor  to  his  priesthood  and  his  country.  There  was 
a  dead  silence.  I  continued: 

"  We  are  threatened  with  the  irresistible  power  of  Rome. 
Are  we  to  forget  that  Rome  is  at  this  moment  torn  with  in- 
ternal miseries,  her  provinces  in  revolt,  her  senate  decimated, 
her  citizens  turned  into  a  mass  of  jailers  and  prisoners,  and, 
darkest  sign  of  degradation,  that  Nero  is  upon  her  throne?  " 
The  multitude  began  to  be  moved. 

"Whom,"  said  I,  "have  we  conquered  this  night?  A 
Roman  garrison.  Where  have  we  conquered  them?  In  the 
midst  of  their  walls  and  machines.  By  whom  was  the  con- 
quest achieved?  By  the  unarmed,  undisciplined,  unguided 
men  of  Israel.  The  shepherd  and  the  tiller  of  the  ground, 
with  but  the  staff  and  sling,  smote  the  cuirassed  Roman,  as 
the  son  of  Jesse  smote  the  Philistine !  " 

The  native  bravery  of  the  people  lived  again,  and  they 
shouted,  in  the  language  of  the  Temple :  "  Glory  to  the  King 
of  Israel !  Glory  to  the  God  of  David !  " 

Onias  saw  the  tide  turning,  and  started  from  his  seat  to 
address  the  assembly ;  but  he  was  overpowered  with  outcries 
of  anger.  Furious  at  the  loss  of  his  fame  and  his  revenge,  he 

67 


tTbou  Gill  fl  Come 


turn  o*f  CTO«  rushed  through  the  arena  toward  the  spot  where  I  stood. 
Jubal,  ever  gallant  and  watchful,  bounded  to  my  side,  and 
seizing  the  traitor's  hand  in  the  act  of  unsheathing  a  dagger, 
wrested  the  weapon  from  him,  and  was  ready  to  plunge  it 
in  his  heart  at  a  sign  from  me.  Eleazar's  sonorous  voice  was 
then  first  heard.  "  Let  no  violence  be  done  upon  that  slave 
of  his  passions.  No  Jewish  blood  must  stain  our  holy  cause. 
Return,  Onias,  to  your  tribe,  and  give  the  rest  of  your  days  to 
repentance."  Jubal  cast  the  baffled  homicide  from  his  grasp 
far  into  the  crowd. 

The  universal  echo  now  was  "  war !  "  "  Ruin  to  the  idolater. 
War  for  the  Temple."  "War,"  I  exclaimed,  "is  wisdom, 
honor,  security.  Let  us  bow  our  necks  again,  and  we  shall 
be  rewarded  by  the  ax.  The  Romans  never  forgive  until 
the  brave  man  who  resists  is  either  a  slave  or  a  corpse ;  the 
work  of  this  night  has  put  us  beyond  pardon,  and  our  only 
hope  is  in  arms,  the  appeal  to  that  sovereign  justice  before 
which  nothing  is  strong  but  virtue,  truth,  and  patriotism. 
War  is  inevitable." 

My  words,  few  as  they  were,  rekindled  the  chilled  ardor 
of  the  national  heart.  They  were  followed  by  shouts  for 
instant  battle.  "  War  against  the  world !  liberty  to  Israel !  " 
Some  voices  began  a  hymn ;  the  habits  of  the  people  prepared 
them  for  this  powerful  mode  of  expressing  their  sympathies. 
The  whole  assembly  spontaneously  stood  up  and  joined  in 
the  hymn.  The  magnificent  invocation  of  David,  "Let  God 
arise,  and  let  his  enemies  be  scattered,"  ascended  in  solemn 
harmonies  on  the  wings  of  the  morning.  It  was  heard  over 
the  awaking  city,  and  answered ;  the  chant  of  glory  spread  to 
the  encampments  on  the  surrounding  hills,  and  in  every  pause 
we  heard  the  responses  rolling  on  the  air  in  rich  thunder. 


CHAPTER  XI 

'The  Strength  of  Jadea 

THE  result  of  our  deliberation  was  that  Israel  should  be     "Cbe  Spirit 
summoned  to  make  a  last  grand  effort ;  that  Jerusalem  should 
be  left  with  a  strong  garrison,  as  the  center  of  the  armies ;  and 
that  every  chieftain  should  set  forth  to  stir  up  the  energies 
of  his  people. 

Eleazar  and  his  kinsmen  were  instantly  upon  the  road  to  the 
mountains,  and  all  was  haste  and  that  mixture  of  anxiety 
and  animation  which  makes  all  other  life  tasteless  and  color- 
less to  the  warrior.  With  what  new  vividness  did  the  coming 
conflict  invest  the  varied  and  romantic  country  through  which 
we  had  already  journeyed  so  often!  The  hill,  the  ravine,  the 
superb  sweep  of  forest  that  we  once  looked  on  with  but  the 
vague  indulgence  of  the  picturesque  eye,  now  filled  us  with 
the  vision  of  camps  and  battles.  Hunters  of  the  lion,  we  had 
felt  something  of  this  interest  in  tracing  the  ground  where 
we  were  to  combat  the  kingly  savage.  But  what  were  the 
triumphs  of  the  chase  to  the  mighty  chances  of  that  struggle 
in  which  a  kingdom  was  to  be  the  field  and  the  Roman  glory 
the  prey ! 

Man  is  belligerent  by  nature,  and  the  thought  of  war  sum- 
mons up  sensations  and  even  faculties  within  him  that  in 
the  common  course  of  life  would  have  been  no  more  discover- 
able than  the  bottom  of  the  sea ;  the  moral  earthquake  must 
come  to  open  the  heart  for  all  men  to  gaze  upon.  Even 
Eleazar 's  calm  and  grave  wisdom  felt  the  spirit  of  the  time, 
and  he  reasoned  on  the  probabilities  of  the  struggle  with  the 
lofty  ardor  of  a  king  preparing  to  win  a  new  throne.  Jubal's 
sanguine  temper  was  unrestrainable ;  he  was  the  war-horse  in 
the  sight  of  the  banners ;  his  bronzed  cheek  glowed  with  hope 
and  exultation.  He  saw  in  every  cloud  of  dust  a  Kornan 


Cbou  Ctll  f  Come 


Saiatbict  squadron,  and  grasped  his  lance  and  wheeled  his  foaming 
charger  with  the  eager  joy  of  a  soldier  longing  to  assuage  his 
thirst  for  battle. 

The  weight  on  my  melancholy  mind  was  beyond  the  power 
of  chance  or  time  to  remove,  but  a  new  strength  was  in  the 
crisis.  The  world  to  me  was  covered  with  clouds  eternal,  but 
it  was  now  brightened  by  a  wild  and  keen  luster ;  I  saw  my 
way  by  the  lightning.  An  irresistible  conviction  still  told 
me  that  the  last  day  of  Israel  was  approaching,  and  that  no 
sacrifice  of  valor  or  victory  could  avert  the  ruin.  In  the 
midst  of  the  loudest  exhilaration  of  the  fearless  hearts  around 
me,  the  picture  of  the  coming  ruin  would  grow  upon  my  eyes.14 
I  saw  my  generous  friends  perish  one  by  one ;  my  household 
desolate ;  every  name  that  I  ever  loved  passed  away.  When  I 
bent  my  eyes  round  the  horizon  luxuriating  in  the  golden  sun- 
shine of  the  east,  I  saw  but  a  huge  altar,  covered  with  the 
fatal  offerings  of  a  slaughtered  people. 

And  this  was  seen,  not  with  the  misty  uncertainty  of  a 
mind  prone  to  dreams  of  evil,  but  with  a  clearness  of  fore- 
sight, a  distinct  and  defined  reality,  that  left  no  room  for  con- 
jecture. Yet — and  here  was  the  bitterest  part  of  my  medita- 
tion— what  was  all  this  ruin  to  me?  What  were  those  men 
and  women  and  households  and  lands  but  as  the  leaves  on 
the  wind  to  me!  I  might  strive  in  the  last  extremities  of 
their  struggle.  I  might  undergo  the  agonies  of  death  with 
them  a  thousand  times ;  and  I  inwardly  pledged  myself  never 
to  desert  their  cause  while  through  pain  or  sorrow  I  coxild 
cling  to  it ;  but  this  devotion,  however  protracted,  must  have 
an  end.  I  must  see  the  final  hour  of  them  all,  and  more  un- 
happy, more  destitute,  more  undone  than  all,  I  must  be  de- 
prived of  the  consolation  of  making  my  tomb  with  the  right- 
eous and  laying  my  weary  heart  in  the  slumbers  of  their  grave ! 
Still,  I  experienced  more  than  the  keenest  fervor  of  the  im- 
pulse which  was  now  burning  around  me.  With  me  it  was 
not  kingly  care,  nor  the  animal  ardency  of  the  soldier.  It 
was  the  high  stimulation  of  something  like  the  infusion  of 
a  new  principle  of  existence.  I  felt  as  if  I  had  become  the 
vehicle  of  a  descended  spirit.  A  ceaseless  current  of  thought 

70 


Strenstb  of  3uDea 


ran  through  my  brain.  Old  knowledge  that  I  had  utterly  rb 
forgotten  revived  in  me  with  spontaneous  freshness.  Casual  °  ! 
impressions  and  long  past  years  arose,  with  their  stamps  and 
marks  as  clear  as  if  a  hoard  of  medals  had  been  suddenly 
brought  to  light  and  thrown  before  me.  I  ran  over  in  my 
recollection  persons  and  names  with  painful  accuracy.  The 
conceptions  of  those  for  whom  I  once  felt  habitual  deference 
were  now  seen  by  me  in  their  nakedness.  All  that  was  habit- 
ual was  passed  away ;  I  saw  intuitively  the  vanity  and  giddi- 
ness, the  inconsequential  reasoning,  the  bewildering  prejudice, 
that  made  up  what  in  other  days  I  had  called  the  wisdom,  of 
the  wise. 

As  I  threw  out  in  the  most  unpremeditated  language  the 
ideas  thus  glowing  and  struggling  for  escape,  I  found  that  the 
impression  of  some  extraordinary  excitement  in  me  was  uni- 
versal. Accustomed  to  be  heard  with  the  attention  due  to  my 
rank,  I  now  saw  the  eyes  of  my  fellow  travelers  turned  on 
me  with  an  evident  and  deferential  surprise.  When  I  talked 
of  the  hopes  of  the  country,  of  the  resources  of  the  enemy,  of 
the  kingdoms  that  would  be  ready  to  make  common  cause  with 
us  against  the  galling  tyranny  of  Nero,  of  the  glory  of  fight- 
ing for  our  altars,  and  of  the  imperishable  honors  of  those 
whose  blood  earned  peace  for  their  children,  they  listened  as 
to  something  more  than  man.  "  Was  I  the  prophet  delegated 
at  last  to  lead  Judea  to  her  glory?  " 

At  those  discourses,  bursting  from  my  lips  with  unconscious 
fire,  the  old  men  would  vow  the  remnant  of  their  days  to  the 
field ;  the  young  would  sweep  over  the  country  performing  the 
evolutions  of  the  Eoman  cavalry,  then  return  brandishing  their 
weapons  and  demanding  to  be  let  loose  on  the  first  cohort 
that  crossed  the  horizon.  With  me  every  pulse  now  was  war. 
The  interest  which  this  new  direction  of  our  minds  gave  to  all 
things  grew  more  intense.  I  spurred  to  the  barren  heath; 
it  had  now  no  deformity,  for  upon  it  I  saw  the  spot  from  which 
battle  might  be  offered  to  an  army  advancing  through  the 
valley  below.  The  marsh  that  spread  its  yellow  stagnation 
over  the  plain  might  be  worth  a  province  for  the  protection 
of  my  camp.  The  thicket,  the  broken  bank  of  the  torrent, 

71 


Gbou  GUI  11  Gome 


Ubc  ian&  of  the  bluff  promontory,  the  rock,  the  sand,  every  repellent 
feature  of  the  landscape  was  invested  with  the  value  of  a 
thing  of  life  and  death,  a  portion  of  the  great  stake  in  the 
game  that  was  so  soon  to  be  played  for  restoration  or  ruin. 

Those  are  the  delights  of  soldiership,  the  indescribable  and 
brilliant  colorings  which  the  sense  of  danger,  the  desire  for 
fame,  and  the  hope  of  triumph  throw  over  life  and  nature. 
Yet,  if  war  was  ever  to  be  forgiven  for  its  cause,  to  be  justified 
by  the  high  remembrances  and  desperate  injuries  of  a  people, 
or  to  be  encouraged  by  the  physical  strength  of  a  country,  it 
was  this,  the  final  war  of  Israel.  In  all  my  wanderings  I 
have  seen  no  kingdom,  for  defense,  equal  to  Judea. '"  It  had 
in  the  highest  degree  the  three  grand  essentials,  compactness 
of  territory,  density  of  population,  and  strength  of  frontier. 
If  I  were  at  this  hour  to  be  sent  forth  to  select  from  the 
earth  a  kingdom,  I  should  say,  even  extinguishing  the  recol- 
lections of  my  being  and  the  love  which  I  bear  to  the  very 
weeds  of  my  country — for  beauty,  for  climate,  for  natural 
wealth,  and  for  invincible  security,  give  me  Judea ! 

The  Land  of  Promise  had  been  chosen  by  the  Supreme 
Wisdom  for  the  inheritance  of  a  people  destined  to  be  uncon- 
querable while  they  continued  pure.  It  was  surrounded  on 
all  sides  but  one  by  mountains  and  deserts,  and  that  one  was 
defended  by  the  sea,  which  at  the  same  time  opened  to  it  the 
intercourse  with  the  richest  countries  of  the  west.  On  the 
north,  opposed  to  the  vast  population  of  Asia  Minor,  it  was 
protected  by  the  double  range  of  the  Libanus  and  Autilibanus, 
a  region  of  forests  and  denies  at  all  seasons  almost  impassable 
to  chariots  and  cavalry,  and  during  winter  barred  up  with 
torrents  and  snows.  The  whole  frontier  to  the  east  and  south 
was  a  wall  of  mountain  rising  from  a  desert— a  durable  barrier 
over  which  no  enemy,  exhausted  by  the  privations  of  an 
Asiatic  march,  could  force  their  way  against  a  brave  army 
waiting  fresh  within  its  own  confines.  But  even  if  the  Syrian 
wastes  of  sand  and  the  fiery  soil  of  Arabia  left  the  invaders 
strength  to  master  the  mountain  defenses,  the  whole  interior 
was  full  of  the  finest  positions  for  defense  that  ever  caught 
the  soldier's  eye. 


Gbe  Strengtb  of 


All  the  mountains  sent  branches  through  the  champaign.  Ube  preparas 
As  we  spurred  up  the  sides  of  Carmel,  we  saw  an  horizon  * ons  f or  T!mar 
covered  with  cloud-like  hills.  Every  city  was  built  on  an 
eminence  and  capable  of  being  instantly  converted  into  a  for- 
tress. But  while  an  army  kept  the  field,  the  larger  opera- 
tions of  strategy  would  have  found  matchless  support  in  the 
course  of  the  Jordan,  the  second  defense  of  Judea;  a  line 
passing  through  the  whole  central  country  from  north  to  south, 
with  the  lake  of  Tiberias  and  the  lake  Asphaltites  at  either 
extreme,  at  once  defending  and  supplying  the  movements  in 
front,  flank,  and  rear. 

The  territory  thus  defensible  had  an  additional  and  superior 
strength  in  the  character  and  habits  of  its  population.  In  a 
space  of  two  hundred  miles  long  by  a  hundred  broad,  its  in- 
habitants once  amounted  to  nearly  four  millions,  tillers  of  the 
soil,  bold  tribes,  invigorated  by  their  life  of  industry  and 
connected  with  one  another  by  the  most  intimate  and  frequent 
intercourse,  under  the  divine  command.  By  the  law  of  Moses 
— may  he  rest  in  glory ! — every  man  from  twenty  to  sixty  was 
liable  to  be  called  on  for  the  general  defense ;  and  the  custom- 
ary armament  of  the  tribes  was  appointed  at  six  hundred 
thousand  men ! 

The  munitions  of  war  were  in  abundance.  All  the  varieties 
of  troops  known  in  the  ancient  armies  were  to  be  found  in 
J  udea,  in  the  highest  discipline ;  from  the  spearsman  to  the 
archer  and  the  slinger,  from  the  heavy-armed  soldier  of  the 
fortress  to  the  ranger  of  the  desert  and  the  mountain.  Cavalry 
was  prohibited,  for  the  great  purpose  of  the  Jewish  arma- 
ment was  defense.  The  spirit  of  the  Jewish  code  was  peace. 
By  the  prohibition  of  cavalry,  no  conquests  could  be  made  on 
the  bordering  kingdoms  of  interminable  plains.  The  com- 
mand that  the  males  of  the  tribes  should  go  up  thrice  in  the 
year  to  the  great  festivals  of  Jerusalem  was  equally  opposed 
to  the  encroachments  on  the  neighboring  states.  It  was  not 
until  Israel  had  abandoned  the  purity  of  the  original  covenant 
with  Heaven  that  the  evils  of  ambition  or  tyranny  were  felt 
within  her  borders. 

Israel's  whole  policy  was  under  a  divine  sanction,  and  her 

73 


Ebou  Gill  1F  Come 


Cbc  Effect  of  whole  preservation  was  distinguished  by  the  perpetual  agency 
•RcsVatance  of  miracle,  for  the  obvious  purpose  of  compelling  the  people 
to  know  the  God  of  their  fathers.  But  the  physical  strength 
of  such  a  people  in  such  a  territory  was  incalculable.  Sever- 
ity of  climate  will  not  ultimately  repel  an  invader,  for  that 
severity  scatters  and  exhausts  the  native  population.  Diffi- 
culties of  country  have  always  been  overcome  by  a  daring  in- 
vader in  the  attack  of  a  feeble  or  negligent  people.  To  what 
nation  were  their  snows,  their  marshes,  or  their  sands  a  bar- 
rier against  the  great  armies  of  the  ancient  or  the  modern 
world?  The  Alps  and  the  Pyrenees  have  been  passed  as 
often  as  they  have  been  -attempted.  But  no  empire  can  con- 
quer a  nation  of  millions  of  men  determined  to  resist;  no 
army  that  could  be  thrown  across  the  frontier  would  find  the 
means  of  penetrating  through  a  compact  population,  of  which 
every  man  was  a  soldier  and  every  soldier  was  fighting  for 
his  own. 

The  Jew  was,  by  his  law,  a  free  proprietor  of  the  soil." 
He  was  no  serf,  no  broken  vassal.  He  inherited  his  portion 
of  the  land  by  an  irrevocable  title.  Debt,  misfortune,  or  time 
could  not  extinguish  his  right.  Capable  of  being  alienated  from 
him  for  a  few  years,  the  land  was  returned  to  him  at  the  Jubi- 
lee. He  was  then  once  more  a  possessor,  the  master  of  a  com- 
petence, and  restored  to  his  rank  amongst  his  fellow  men. 
This  bond,  the  most  benevolent  and  the  strongest  that  ever 
bound  man  to  a  country,  was  the  bond  of  the  Covenant.  If 
Israel  had  held  the  institutions  of  her  lawgiver  inviolate,  she 
would  have  seen  the  Assyrian,  the  Egyptian,  and  the  Roman, 
with  all  their  multitudes,  only  food  for  the  vulture.  But  we 
were  a  rebellious  people ;  we  sullied  the  purity  of  the  Mosaic 
ordinances;  we  abandoned  the  sublime  ceremonial  of  divine 
worship  for  the  profligate  rites  of  paganism ;  we  rejected  the 
Lord  of  the  theocracy  for  the  pomps  of  an  earthly  king. 
Then  the  mighty  protection  that  had  been  to  us  as  an  eagle's 
wings  and  as  a  wall  of  fire  was  withdrawn.  Our  first  punish- 
ment was  by  our  own  hand ;  the  iinion  of  Israel  was  a  band  of 
flax  in  the  flame.  The  tribes  revolted.  The  time  was  come 
for  the  hostile  idolater  to  do  his  work.  We  were  overwhelmed 

74 


Strength  ot 


by  enemies  in  alliance  with  our  own  blood.  The  banners  of  Ube  lanb  of 
Jacob  were  seen  waving  beside  the  banners  of  Ashtaroth  and 
Apis.  An  opening  was  made  into  the  bosom  of  the  land  for 
all  invasion ;  the  barriers  of  the  mountain  and  the  desert  were 
in  vain ;  the  proverbial  bravery  of  the  Jew  only  rendered  his 
chain  more  severe ;  and  the  policy  that  of  old  united  the 
highest  wisdom  with  the  most  benevolent  mercy  became  at 
once  the  scoff  and  problem  of  the  pagan  world. 

But  opulence,  salubrity,  and  luxuriance  of  production  be- 
longed to  the  site  of  the  land  of  Israel.  It  lay  central  be- 
tween the  richest  regions  of  the  world.  It  was  the  natural 
road  of  the  traffic  of  India  with  the  west ;  that  traffic  which 
raised  Tyre  and  Sidon  from  rocks  and  shallows  on  a  fragment 
of  the  shore  of  Judea  into  magnificent  cities,  and  which 
was  yet  to  raise  into  political  power  and  unrivaled  wealth 
the  rocks  and  shallows  of  the  remotest  shore  of  the  Mediter- 
ranean. Our  mountain  ranges  tempered  the  hot  winds  from 
the  wilderness.  The  sea  cooled  the  summer  heats  with  the 
living  breeze,  and  tempered  the  chill  of  winter.  Our  fields 
teemed  with  perpetual  fruits  and  flowers. 

The  extent  of  the  land,  tho  narrow,  when  contrasted 
with  the  surrounding  kingdoms,  was  yet  not  to  be  measured 
by  its  lineal  boundaries; 1S  a  country  intersected  everywhere 
by  chains  of  hills  capable  of  cultivation  to  the  summit,  alike 
multiplies  its  surface  and  varies  its  climate.  We  had  at 
the  foot  of  the  hill  the  products  of  the  torrid  zone;  on 
its  side  those  of  the  temperate;  on  its  summit  the  robust 
vegetation  of  the  north.  The  ascending  circles  of  the  orange- 
grove,  the  vineyard,  and  the  forest  covered  it  with  perpetual 
beauty. 

This  scene  of  matchless  productiveness  is  fair  and  fertile  no 
more.  For  ages  before  my  eyes  opened  on  the  land  of  my 
fathers  the  national  misfortunes  had  impaired  its  original 
loveliness.  The  schism  of  the  tribes,  the  ravages  of  successive 
invaders,  and  still  more,  the  continued  presence  of  the  idolater 
and  the  alien  in  the  heart  of  the  land,  turned  large  portions  of 
it  into  desert.  The  final  fall  almost  destroyed  the  traces  of 
its  fruitfulness.  What  can  be  demanded  from  the  soil  lorded 

75 


Gbou  GUI  f  Come 


over  by  the  tyranny  of  the  Moslem,  stripped  of  its  population, 
and  given  up  to  the  mendicant,  the  monk,  and  the  robber? 

But  more  than  human  evil  smote  my  unhappy  country. 
The  curse  pronounced  by  our  great  prophet  three  thousand 
years  ago  has  been  deeply  fulfilled.  "  The  stranger  that  shall 
come  from  a  far  land  shall  say,  when  he  beholdeth  the  plagues 
of  the  land,  and  the  sickness  that  the  Lord  hath  laid  upon  it, 
the  land  of  brimstone  and  salt  and  burning,  even  all  nations 
shall  say,  Wherefore  hath  the  Lord  done  this  unto  this 
land?  What  meaneth  the  heat  of  this  great  anger?  Then 
men  shall  say,  Because  they  have  forsaken  the  covenant  of 
the  Lord  God  of  their  fathers !  " 

The  soil  has  been  blasted.  Sterility  has  struck  into  its 
heart.  Whole  provinces  are  covered  with  sands  and  ashes. 
It  has  the  look  of  an  exhausted  volcano. 

Yet,  what  might  have  been  the  progress  of  this  people! 
The  glory  of  Israel  is  no  fine  vision  of  the  fancy.     The  same 
prophetic  word  which  has  given  terrible  demonstration  of  its 
f  reality  in  our  ruin  declares  the  hope  once  held  forth  to  our 
*   obedience.     Judea  was  to  have  borne  the  first  rank  among  na- 
7    tions;  to  have  been  an  object   of  universal  honor;   to  have 
been  unconquerable ;  to  have  enjoyed  unwearied  fertility ;  to 
have  been  protected  from  the  casualties  of  the  elements;  to 
have  been  free  from  disease,  the  life  of  its  people  continuing 
to  the  farthest  limit  of  our  nature.     A  blessing  was  to  be 
upon  the  labors,  the  possessions,  and  the  persons  of  the  tribes ; 
all  Israel  a  holy  nation  in  the  highest  sense  of  the  word — a 
sovereign  race  to  which  the  world  should  pay  a  willing  and 
happy  homage. 

What  must  have  been  the  operation  of  this  illustrious  in- 
stance of  the  preservative  power  of  Heaven  on  the  darkened 
empires;  of  the  scriptural  lights  perpetually  beaming  from 
Judea;  of  the  living,  palpable  happiness  and  obedience  to  the 
Supreme ;  of  the  perpetual  security  of  the  land  in  the  divine 
protection ;  of  the  internal  peace,  health,  plenteousness,  and 
freedom?  Man  is  weak  and  passionate,  but  no  blindness  could 
have  hid  from  his  contemplations  this  proof  of  the  human 
\  value  of  virtue. 

76 


Strength  of 


We  must  add  to  this  the  direct  influence  of  a  governing  Ube  influence 
people,  placed  in  its  rank  for  the  express  purpose  of  a  guide 
to  nations.  Combining  the  knowledge  and  devotedness  of  a 
priesthood  with  the  actual  power  and  dignity  of  kings;  by 
its  own  constitution  as  safe  from  all  encroachments  as  pro- 
hibited from  all  aggression ;  informed  by  the  immediate  wis- 
dom and  sustained  by  the  visible  arm  of  Omnipotence,  Judea 
might  have  changed  the  earth  into  a  paradise,  and  raised  uni- 
versal man  to  the  highest  happiness,  knowledge,  and  grandeur 
of  human  nature ! 


7? 


CHAPTER  XH 
The  Prince  of  &(aphtali  Confronts  isolation 

•Cbc  Cboice  of  WAR  was  now  inevitable.  Attempts  had  been  made  by  our 
rulers  to  propitiate  the  Roman  emperor,  but  their  answer  was 
the  march  of  a  legion  to  Jerusalem.  The  seizure  of  some  of 
the  people  who  had  made  themselves  conspicuous  in  the  late 
capture  of  the  citadel  followed,  and  an  order  was  despatched 
to  the  governor  of  Galilee  for  the  execution  of  Eleazar.  His 
tribe  instantly  assembled  and  all  voices  were  for  resistance. 
My  noble  kinsman,  still  pacific,  offered  himself  as  the  victim. 
But  this  generous  sacrifice  we  all  denounced,  and  called  for 
war.  The  appointment  of  a  leader  was  next  debated  in  a 
hurried  assemblage,  to  which  every  head  of  a  village  came  in 
arms.  No  man  could  contest  the  command  with  Eleazar. 
But  he  declined  it  from  a  sense  of  his  inexperience  in  war  in 
a  few  simple  words. 

Then,  suddenly  bursting  into  ardor,  he  exclaimed:  "Our 
war  is  holy !  It  is  not  to  be  hazarded  on  the  claims  of  hered- 
itary rank,  personal  freedom,  or  even  on  national  favoritism. 
The  only  claims  which  the  nation  must  acknowledge  in  its 
extremity  are  the  rights  of  tried  talent,  experienced  intrepid- 
ity, and  unquestionable  service.  Such  a  leader  stands  among 
us  at  this  moment."  Every  eye  was  turned  upon  me.  "  Yes," 
exclaimed  my  noble  kinsman,  "you  have  already  made  your 
choice.  Genius,  valor,  and  success  have  combined  to  mark 
one  man  for  the  leader  of  Israel.  He  is  worthy  of  the  dia- 
dem." Then  turning  to  me  and  lifting  his  hand,  as  if  he  was 
letting  fall  the  diadem  upon  my  head,  "Go  forth,"  cried  he 
in  a  tone  of  almost  prophetic  grandeur,  "  Go  forth,  prince  of 
Naphtali,  leader  of  Israel,  to  break  the  chains  of  Judah  and 
conquer  in  the  cause  of  man  and  Heaven ! "  The  words  were 
received  with  acclamation. 

78 


prince  of  Bapbtalf  Confronts  Desolation 

I  vainly  protested  against  the  general  voice,  that  I  was  a  Saiatbiei  •£& 
priest  of  the  Temple  of  the  house  of  Aaron,  of  the  tribe  of comes  a  *ca6et 
Levi,  and  bound  to  Naphtali  only  by  ties  of  kindred  and 
gratitude.  I  was  answered  by  a  multitude  of  voices  that  my 
summons  was  actually  in  the  service  of  the  Temple ;  that  war 
extinguished  all  office  but  that  of  defending  the  country ;  that 
I  had  long  retired  from  the  duties  of  the  priesthood;  that 
Moses  was  at  once  the  priest  and  the  leader ;  that  Samuel  was 
at  once  the  prophet  and  the  sovereign  of  Israel;  above  all, 
that  I  had  shown  myself,  by  daring  and  success,  almost  superior 
to  man,  the  Heaven-elected  leader  of  Israel. 

I  acknowledged  that  my  heart  was  with  the  answerers,  and 
I  at  length  gave  way  to  what  even  I  believed  to  be  the  will 
of  more  than  man.  A  thousand  falchions,  wielded  by  as 
sinewy  hands  as  ever  drew  sword,  were  instantly  moved  round 
my  head.  I  was  placed  on  a  shield,  and  in  this  ancient  fashion 
of  our  countrymen  I  was  inaugurated  prince  of  Naphtali. 
This  was  one  of  the  blinding  flashes  that  broke  in  from  time 
to  time  on  my  gloomy  career.  When  the  assemblage  dis- 
persed and  I  returned  toward  my  mountain  home,  I  was  still 
in  the  excitement  of  the  scene.  I  even  began  to  imagine  that 
my  terrible  sentence  was  about  to  be  lightened,  perhaps  to 
pass  away ;  my  station  in  life  was  now  fixed ;  services  of  the 
highest  rank  in  the  noblest  cause  were  before  me,  and  I  felt 
myself  exclaiming,  even  to  the  solitude,  "I  am  prince  of 
Naphtali!  "  19  My  exultation  was  soon  to  have  a  fall. 

It  was  the  evening  of  one  of  the  freshest  days  of  the  love- 
liest season  of  earth,  the  spring  of  Palestine.  All  nature  was 
clothed  with  its  robe  of  genial  beaiity ;  the  olives  on  the  higher 
grounds  had  put  forth  their  first  green,  and  with  every  slight 
gust  that  swept  across  them  heaved  like  sheets  of  emerald ; 
the  birds  sang  in  a  thousand  notes  from  every  bush ;  the  sheep 
and  camels  lay  in  the  meadows  visibly  enjoying  the  sweet  air; 
the  shepherds  sat  gathered  together  on  the  side  of  some  gentle 
eminence,  talking,  or  listening  to  the  songs  of  the  maidens 
who  came  in  long  lines  to  the  fountains  below.  The  heavens 
gave  prospect  of  a  glorious  day  in  the  colors  shown  only  to 
the  Oriental  eyes;  hues  so  brilliant  that  many  a  traveler 

70 


Cbou  GUI  u  Come 


Saiatbiei's  stops  on  the  verge  of  the  valleys  arrested,  in  his  haste 
homeward,  by  the  pomp  above.  All  was  the  loveliness  and 
joy  of  pastoral  life,  in  the  only  country  where  I  ever  found  it 
realized.  The  mind  is  to  be  medicined  by  natural  loveliness, 
and  mine  was  doubly  cheered.  ^To  return  to  our  home  is  at 
all  times  a  delight ;  but  the  new  conjuncture,  the  high  hopes 
of  the  future,  and  the  consciousness  that  a  career  of  the  most 
distinguished  honors  might  be  opening  before  my  steps,  made 
this  return  more  vivid  than  all  the  past;  and  when  we  readied 
the  foot  of  the  long  ascent  from  which  my  dwelling  was  visi- 
ble I  felt  an  impatience  beyond  restraint,  and  spurred  up  the 
hill  with  my  tidings.  How  fine  the  ear  becomes  when  quick- 
ened by  the  heart !  As  the  mountain  road,  now  more  difficult 
by  the  darkness  of  the  wild  pines  and  cedars  that  crowned  the 
summit,  compelled  me  to  slacken  my  pace,  I  thought  that  I 
could  distinguish  the  household  voices,  the  barking  of  my 
hounds,  and  the  laugh  of  the  retainers  and  peasantry  that 
during  the  summer  crowded  my  doors. 

I  pictured  the  dearer  group  that  had  so  often  welcomed 
me.  The  early  and  cruel  loss  of  my  son  had  not  been  repaired. 
I  was  not  destined  to  be  the  father  of  a  race;  but  two 
daughters  were  given  to  me,  and  in  the  absence  of  all  ambi- 
tion, they  were  more  than  a  recompense.  Salome,  the  elder, 
was  now  approaching  womanhood;  she  had  the  dark  eyes 
and  animated  beauty  of  her  mother ;  the  foot  of  the  antelope 
was  not  lighter ;  and  her  wreathed  smile,  her  laugh  of  inno- 
cence, and  her  buoyancy  of  soul  forbade  sorrow  in  her  sight. 
How  changed  I  afterward  saw  that  face  of  living  joy!  What 
floods  of  sorrow  bathed  those  cheeks,  that  once  shamed  the 
Persian  rose ! 

The  younger  was  scarcely  more  than  a  child ;  her  mind  and 
her  form  were  yet  equally  in  the  bud,  but  she  had  an  eye  of 
the  deepest  azure,  a  living  star ;  and  even  in  her  playfulness 
there  was  an  elevation,  a  lofty  and  fervent  spirit,  that  made 
me  often  forget  her  years.  She  was  mistress  of  music  almost 
by  nature,  and  the  cadences  and  rich  modulations  that  poured 
from  her  harp,  under  fingers  slight  and  feeble,  as  if  the  stalks 
of  flowers  had  been  flung  across  the  strings,  were  like  secrets 

80 


Cbe  prince  of  IHapbtali  Confronts  2>e0olatton 

of-  harmony  treasured  for  her  touch  alone.     Our  prophets,  the    B  Souni>  in 
true  masters  of  the  sublime,  were  her  rapturous  study.     Their    t  e    b  cfeet 
truths  might  yet  be  veiled,  but  their  genius  blazed  broad  upon 
her  sensitive  soul. 

I  pictured  my  children  hastening  through  the  portal,  hand 
in  hand  with  their  noble  mother,  still  in  the  prime  of  matronly 
beauty,  to  give  me  welcome.  The  light  thickened,  and  the 
intricacy  of  the  forest  impeded  me.  At  length,  wearied  by 
the  delay,  I  sprang  from  my  horse,  left  him  to  make  his  way 
as  best  he  could,  and  pushed  forward  through  a  thicket  which 
crept  round  the  skirts  of  the  forest.  As  I  struggled  onward, 
listening  with  sharpened  anxiety  for  every  sound  of  home,  I 
heard  a  noise  like  that  of  a  wild  beast  rustling  close  at  my 
side.  The  thicket  was  now  dark.  My  eyes  were  useless.  I 
drew  my  simitar,  and  plunged  it  straight  before  me.  The  blow 
was  instantly  followed  by  a  shriek.  Friend  or  enemy,  silence 
was  now  impossible,  and  I  demanded  who  was  nigh.  I  was 
answered  but  by  groans ;  my  next  step  was  on  a  human  body. 
.Shocked  and  startled,  I  lifted  it  in  my  arms  and  bore  the 
dying  man  to  an  open  space  where  the  moonlight  glimmered. 
To  my  unspeakable  horror,  he  was  one  of  my  most  favored 
attendants,  whom  I  had  left  in  the  principal  charge  of  my 
household ;  I  had  slain  him.  I  tore  up  my  mantle  to  stanch 
his  wound,  but  he  fiercely  repelled  my  hand.  In  an  unde- 
fined dread  of  some  evil  to  my  family,  I  commanded  him  to 
speak,  if  but  one  word,  and  tell  me  that  all  was  safe.  He 
buried  his  face  in  his  mantle. 

In  the  whirlwind  of  my  thoughts  I  flung  him  from  me, 
that  I  might  go  forward  and  know  the  good  or  evil ;  but  he 
clung  round  my  feet,  and  exerted  his  last  breath  to  implore 
me  not  to  leave  him  to  die  alone. 

"You  have  killed  me,"  said  he,  in  broken  accents;  "but  it 
was  only  the  hand  of  the  Avenger.  I  was  corrupted  by  gold. 
You  have  terrible  enemies  among  the  leaders  of  Jerusalem ;  a 
desperate  deed  has  been  done." 

My  suspense  amounted  to  agony ;  I  made  another  effort  to 
cast  off  the  trammels  of  the  assassin,  but  he  still  implored. 

"  Evil  things  were  whispered  against  you.     I  was  told  that 

6  81 


ftbou  GUI  fl  Gome 


Saiatbiel  you  had  been  convicted  of  a  horrible  crime."  The  sound  shot 
through  iny  senses ;  he  must  have  felt  the  trembling  of  my 
frame,  for  he  for  the  first  time  looked  upon  my  face. 

"My  sight  is  gone,"  groaned  he,  and  fell  back.  ]  dared 
not  meet  the  glance  even  of  his  clouding  eyes.  "They  said 
that  you  were  condemned  to  an  unspeakable  punishment  and 
that  the  man  who  swept  the  world  of  you  and  yours  did  God 
service.  In  my  hour  of  sin  the  tempter  met  me,  and  this  day 
from  sunrise  have  I  lurked  on  your  road  to  strike  my  bene- 
factor and  my  lord.  In  the  dark  I  lost  my  way  in  the  thicket ; 
but  vengeance  found  me." 

"My  wife,  my  children,  are  they  safe?  "  I  exclaimed. 

He  quiveied,  relaxed  his  hold,  and  uttering  "Forgive!" 
two  or  three  times,  with  nervous  agony,  expired. 

A  single  bound  from  this  spot  of  death  placed  me  on  a  point 
of  rock  from  which  I  had  often  gazed  on  my  little  world  in 
the  valley.  The  moon  was  now  bright  and  the  view  unob- 
structed. I  looked  down.  Were  my  eyes  dim?  There  \v;is 
no  habitation  beneath  me ;  the  grove,  the  garden,  were  there, 
sleeping  in  the  moonlight ;  but  all  that  had  the  semblance  of 
life  was  gone!  I  rushed  down  and  found  myself  among  ruins 
and  ashes  still  hot.  I  called  aloud — in  terror  and  distraction, 
I  yelled  to  the  night,  but  no  voice  answered  me.  My  foot 
struck  upon  something  in  the  grass ;  it  was  a  sword  dyed  with 
recent  blood.  There  had  been  burning,  plunder,  slaughter 
here  in  this  treasure-house  of  my  heart ;  desolation  had  been 
busy  in  the  center  of  what  was  to  me  life  — more  than  life.  I 
raved ;  I  flew  through  the  fields ;  I  rushed  back,  to  convince 
myself  that  I  was  not  in  some  frightful  dream.  What  I  en- 
dured that  night  I  never  endured  again ;  that  conflict  of  fear, 
astonishment,  love,  and  misery  could  be  contained  but  once 
even  in  my  bosom ;  in  all  others  it  must  have  been  death.  In 
the  moment  of  reviving  hope  I  had  been  smitten.  While  my 
spirit  was  ascending  on  the  wings  of  justified  ambition  and 
sacred  love  of  country,  I  had  been  dashed  down  to  earth,  a 
desolate  and  a  desperate  man. 

What  I  did  thenceforth,  or  how  I  passed  through  that  night, 
I  know  not ;  but  I  was  found  in  the  morning  with  my  robe 


Gbe  prince  of  IRapbtali  Confronts  Desolation 

fantastically  thrown  over  me  like  a  royal  mantle,  and  a  frag-  m  fruitless 
ment  of  half-burned  wood  for  a  scepter  in  my  hand,  perform- 
ing the  part  of  a  monarch,  giving  orders  for  the  rebuilding 
of  my  palace,  and  marshaling  the  movements  of  an  army  of 
shrubs  and  weeds.  I  was  led  away  with  the  lofty  reluctance 
of  a  captive  sovereign,  to  the  household  of  Eleazar. 

The  wrath  and  grief  of  my  kinsmen  were  without  bounds. 
Every  defile  of  the  mountains  was  searched — every  straggler 
seized ;  messengers  were  despatched  across  the  frontier  with 
offers  of  ransom  to  the  chiefs  of  the  desert,  in  case  my  family 
should  have  escaped  the  sword.  Threats  of  severe  retaliation 
were  used  by  the  Roman  governor  of  the  province ;  all  was  in 
vain.  The  only  intelligence  was  from  a  shepherd,  who,  two. 
nights  before,  had  seen  a  troop  which  he  supposed  to  be 
Arabs,  ride  swiftly  by  the  gates  of  Kuriathim,  our  nearest 
city;  but  this  intelligence  only  added  to  the  misfortune. 
The  habits  of  those  robbers  were  proverbially  savage ;  they 
lived  by  the  torch  and  the  sword ;  they  slaughtered  the  men 
without  mercy ;  the  females  they  generally  sold  into  endless 
captivity.  To  leave  no  trace  of  their  route,  they  slaughtered 
the  captives  whom  they  could  not  carry  through  their  hurried 
marches.  To  leave  no  trace  of  what  they  had  done,  they 
burned  the  place  of  massacre.  But  this  ruin  was  from  other 
and  more  malignant  hands ! 


CHAPTER  XIII 

Ihe  Wandering  of  a  Mind  Diseased 

WHAT  I  might  have  suffered  in  the  agony  of  a  bereaved 
husband  and  father  was  spared  me.  My  visitation  was  of 
another  kind;  dreadful,  yet  perhaps  not  so  preeminently 
wretched,  nor  so  deeply  striking  at  the  roots  of  life.  My  brain 
had  received  an  overwhelming  blow.20  Imagination  was  to 
be  my  tyrant ;  and  every  occurrence  of  life,  every  aspect  of 
humanity,  every  variety  of  nature,  day  and  night,  sunshine 
and  storm,  made  a  portion  of  its  fearful  empire.  What  is  in- 
sanity but  a  more  vivid  and  terrible  dream?  It  has  the 
dream-like  tumult  of  events,  the  rapidity  of  transit,  the  quick 
invention,  the  utter  disregard  of  place  and  time.  The  differ- 
ence lies  in  its  intensity.  The  madman  is  awake ;  -and  the 
open  eye  administers  a  horrid  reality  to  the  fantastic  vision. 
The  vigor  of  the  senses  gives  a  living  and  resistless  strength 
to  the  vagueness  of  the  fancy ;  it  compels  together  the  fleeting 
mists  of  the  mind,  and  embodies  them  into  shapes  of  deadly 
power. 

I  was  mad !  but  all  my  madness  was  not  painful.  Books, 
my  old  delight,  still  lulled  my  mind.  I  turned  the  pages  of 
some  volume ;  then  fancy  waved  her  wand,  and  built  upon 
its  contents  a  world  of  adventure.  Every  language  appeared 
to  open  treasures  to  me.  I  roved  through  all  lands ;  I  saw 
all  those  eminent  in  rank  or  genius ;  I  drank  of  the  fountains 
of  poetry ;  I  addressed  listening  senates,  and  heard  the  air 
echo  with  applause.  Wit,  beauty,  talent,  laid  their  inesti- 
mable tributes  at  my  feet.  I  was  exalted  to  the  highest  tri- 
umphs of  mind ;  and  then  came  my  fate.  In  the  midst  of  my 
glory  came  a  cloud,  and  I  was  miserable.  This  bitter  sense 
of  defeat  was  a  characteristic  of  my  visions.  Be  the  cup  ever 
so  sweet,  it  had  a  poison  drop  at  bottom. 

84 


TldanDering  of  a  d&tnD  2>isea0eO 


The  history  of  my  country  was  most  frequent  on  my  mind.  Saiatbfel  in 
I  imagined  myself  the  great  King  of  Babylon.  From  the 
superb  architecture  of  those  palaces,  in  which  Nebuchadnezzar 
forgot  that  he  was  but  a  man,  I  issued  my  mandates  to  a  hun- 
dred monarchs.  I  saw  the  satraps  of  the  East  bow  their 
jeweled  necks  before  my  throne.  I  rode  at  the  head  of  count- 
less armies,  lord  of  Asia,  and  prospective  conqueror  of  all 
the  realms  that  saw  the  sun.  In  the  swellings  of  my  haughty 
soul  I  exclaimed,  like  him,  "  Is  not  this  the  great  Babylon 
that  I  have  built?  "  and  like  him,  in  the  very  uttering  of  the 
words  I  was  cast  out,  humbled  to  the  grass  of  the  field,  hide- 
ous, brutal,  and  wretched.  .  .  . 

I  was  Belshazzar.  I  sat  in  the  halls  of  glory.  I  heard 
the  harps  of  minstrels,  the  voices  of  singing  men  and  women. 
The  banquet  was  before  me;  I  was  surrounded  by  the  tro- 
phies of  irresistible  conquest.  Beauty,  flattery,  splendor,  the 
delight  of  the  senses,  the  keener  feast  of  vanity,  the  rich 
anticipation  of  triumph  measureless  and  endless,  made  me 
all  but  a  god.  I  put  the  profaned  cup  of  the  Temple  to 
my  lips.  Thunder  pealed ;  the  serene  sky,  the  only  canopy 
worthy  of  my  banquet  and  my  throne,  was  sheeted  over  with 
lightning.  I  swallowed  the  wine — it  was  poison  and  fire  in 
my  veins.  The  gigantic  hand  came  forth  and  wrote  upon  the 
wall.  .  .  . 

The  moon,  that  ancient  mistress  of  the  diseased  mind, 
strongly  exerted  her  spells  on  mine.  I  loved  her  light,  but 
it  was  only  when  it  mingled  softly  with  the  shadows  of  the 
forest  and  the  landscape.  I  welcomed  her  return  from  dark- 
ness as  the  coming  of  some  guardian  genius  to  shed  at  once 
beauty  and  healing  on  its  path.  Darkness  was  to  me  a  source 
of  terror ;  daylight  overwhelmed  me,  but  the  gentle  splendor 
of  the  crescent  had  a  dewy  and  refreshing  influence  on  my 
faculties.  I  exposed  my  feverish  forehead  to  her  beams,  as 
if  to  bathe  it  in  celestial  balm.  I  felt  in  her  gradual  increase, 
an  increase  of  power  to  soothe  and  console.  This  indulgence 
grew  into  a  kind  of  visionary  passion.  I  saw  in  the  crescent, 
as  it  sailed  up  the  ether,  a  galley  crowded  with  forms  of  sur- 
passing loveliness,  faces  that  bent  down  and  smiled  upon  me, 

85 


Cbou  CHI  1  Gome 


c  -boura  of  and  hands  that  showered  treasures,  to  be  collected  by  mine 
alone.  But  excess  even  of  her  light  always  disturbed  me. 
From  the  full  splendor  of  the  moon  there  was  no  escape ;  the 
rays  smote  upon  me  with  merciless  infliction;  I  fled  to  the 
woods  as  a  hunted  deer;  a  thousand  shafts  of  light  pene- 
trated the  shade.  I  hid  myself  in  the  depths  of  my  chamber; 
flames  of  lambent  silver,  curling  and  darting  in  forms  innu- 
merable, shot  round  my  couch.  Upon  the  inequalities  of  the 
ground,  or  the  waves  of  the  fountain  and  the  river,  serpents 
of  the  most  inimitable  luster,  yet  of  the  most  deadly  poison, 
coiled  and  sprang  after  me  with  a  rapidity  that  mocked  human 
feet.  If  I  dared  to  glance  upward,  I  beheld  a  menacing  vis- 
age distending  to  an  immeasurable  magnitude,  and  ready  to 
pour  down  wrath ;  or  an  orb  with  its  mountains  and  oceans 
swinging  loose  through  the  heaven  and  rolling  down  upon 
my  solitary  brow. 

But  those  were  my  hours  of  comparative  happiness.  I  had 
visions  of  unspeakable  terror ;  flights  through  regions  of  space., 
that  left  earth  and  the  sun  incalculable  millions  of  miles  be- 
hind; flights  ceaseless,  hopeless — still  hurrying  onward  with 
more  than  winged  speed  through  infinite  worlds,  and  still  en- 
during ;  the  heart  sickening  and  withering  with  a  conscious- 
ness of  being  swept  beyond  the  bounds  of  living  things,  and 
of  being  doomed  to  this  forever. 

Those  trials  changed  into  every  shape  of  desperation. 

...  I  was  driven  out  to  sea  in  a  bark  that  let  in  every 
wave.  I  struggled  to  reach  the  land ;  I  tore  my  sinews  with  toil ; 
I  saw  the  trees,  the  shore,  the  hills,  sink  in  slow,  yet  sure  suc- 
cession ;  I  felt  in  the  hands  of  an  invisible  power,  bent  on  my 
undoing.  The  storm  subsided,  the  sun  shone,  the  ocean  was 
without  a  surge.  Still  I  struggled ;  with  the  strength  of  de- 
spair I  toiled  to  regain  the  land — to  retard  the  viewless  force 
that  was  perpetually  urging  me  further  from  existence.  I  be- 
gan to  suffer  thirst  and  hunger.  They  grew  to  pain,  to  torture, 
to  madness.  I  felt  as  if  molten  lead  were  poured  down  my 
throat.  I  put  my  arm  to  my  mouth,  and  shuddering,  quenched 
my  thirst  in  my  own  veins.  It  returned  instantly  with  a  more 
fiery  sting.  There  was  nothing  in  the  elements  to  give  me 

86 


"QClanDering  of  a  flbtn£>  Diseased 


hope — to  draw  off  thought  from  my  own  fate — to  deaden  the  trbe 
venomed  sensibilities  that  quivered  through  every  fiber.  The 
wind  slept ;  the  sky  was  cloudless ;  the  sea  smooth  as  glass ; 
not  a  distant,  sail,  not  a  wandering  bird,  not  a  springing  fish, 
not  even  a  floating  weed,  broke  the  terrible  monotony.  The 
sun  did  not  pass  down  the  horizon.  All  above  rne  was  un- 
varied, motionless  sky ;  all  around  me,  unvaried,  motionless 
ocean.  I  alone  moved — still  urged  further  from  the  chance 
of  life ;  still  undergoing  new  accessions  of  agony  that  made, 
the  past  trivial.  I  tasted  the  water  beside  me ;  it  added  fire 
to  fire.  I  convulsively  darted  out  my  withered  hands,  as  if 
they  could  have  drawn  down  the  rain  or  grasped  the  dew.  I 
withered  piecemeal,  yet  with  a  continuing  consciousness  in 
every  fragment  of  my  frame ! 

My  visitation  changed.  ...  I  wandered  at  midnight 
through  a  country  of  mountains.  Worn  out  with  fatigue,  I  lay 
down  upon  a  rock.  I  found  it  heave  under  me.  I  heard  a 
thunder-peal.  A  sudden  blaze  kindled  the  sky.  Bewildered 
and  stunned,  I  started  to  my  feet.  The  mountains  were  on 
flame ;  a  hundred  mouths  poured  down  torrents  of  liquid  fire ; 
they  carne  shooting  in  sulfurous  cataracts  down  the  chasms. 
The  forests  burned  before  them  like  a  garment — the  rocks 
melted — the  rivers  flew  up  in  sheets  of  vapor — the  valleys 
were  basins  of  glowing  ore — the  clouds  of  smoke  and  ashes 
gathered  over  my  head  in  a  solid  vault  of  gloom,  sullenly 
illuminated  by  the  conflagration  below — the  land  was  a  cavern 
of  fire.  In  terror  inconceivable,  I  ran,  I  bounded,  I  plunged 
down  declivities,  I  swam  rivers;  still  the  fiery  torrents  hunted 
my  steps  as  if  they  had  been  commissioned  against  me  alone. 
I  felt  them  gathering  speed  on  me ;  when  I  bounded,  the  spot 
from  which  I  sprang  was  on  flame  before  I  alighted  on  the 
ground.  I  climbed  a  promontory  with  an  effort  that  exhausted 
my  last  nerve.  The  fatal  lava  swept  round  its  foot  and  in 
another  instant  must  encircle  me.  I  ran  along  the  edge  of  a 
precipice  that  made  the  brain  turn ;  the  fire  chased  me  from 
pinnacle  to  pinnacle.  I  clung  to  the  weeds  and  trunks  of 
trees  on  its  sides,  and,  in  fear  of  being  dashed  to  pieces, 
tremblingly  let  myself  down  the  wall  of  perpendicular  rock. 

87 


ttbou  Cill  fl  Come 


Changes  of  tbc  Breathless  and  dying  at  the  bottom  of  the  descent,  I  glanced 
upward ;  the  flanie  of  the  thicket  on  the  brow  showed  me  my 
pursuer.  I  saw  the  rapid  swelling  of  the  molten  tide.  In 
another  moment  it  plunged  through  the  air  in  a  white  column ; 
the  valley  was  instantly  an  expanse  of  conflagration — every 
spot  was  inundated  with  the  blaze.  I  flew,  with  scorching 
feet,  with  every  sinew  of  my  frame  parched  and  dried  of  its 
substance —with  my  eyes  blinded  and  my  lungs  burned  up 
by  the  suffocating  fumes  that  rushed  before,  around,  and 
above  me. 

At  length  my  limit  was  reached.  The  land  afforded  no 
further  room  for  flight.  I  stood  on  the  verge  of  the  ocean. 
Death  was  inevitable.  I  had  but  the  choice.  Before  me 
spread  the  world  of  waters,  sad,  dim,  fathomless,  intermi- 
nable ;  behind  me,  the  world  of  flame.  By  a  last  desperate 
effort,  I  plunged  into  the  ocean.  The  indefatigable  lava  rolled 
on,  mass  on  mass,  like  armies  rushing  to  the  assault.  The 
billows  shrank  before  the  fiery  shock,  sheets  of  vapor  rolled 
up;  still  the  eruption  rolled  on,  and  the  returning  billows 
fought  against  it.  The  conflict  shook  the  land ;  the  mountain 
shore  crumbled  down ;  the  sands  melted  and  burned  vitreous ; 
the  atmosphere  discharged  scalding  torrents;  the  winds, 
shaken  from  their  balance,  raged  with  the  violence  of  more 
than  tempest.  Thunder  roared  in  peals  that  shook  the  earth, 
the  ocean,  and  the  heavens.  In  the  midst  of  all  I  lived,  tossed 
like  a  grain  of  sand  in  the  whirlwind. 

Strange  and  harassing  as  those  trials  of  my  mind  were, 
they  had  yet  contained  some  appeals  to  individual  energy, 
some  excitement  of  personal  powers,  that  produced  a  kind, 
of  cheering  self-applause.  I  was  Prometheus  on  his  rock 
chained  and  remediless,  yet  still  resisting  and  unconquered. 
But  the  real  misery  was  when  I  was  passive. 

...  I  strayed  through  an  Egyptian  city.  Buildings  num- 
berless, of  the  most  regal  designs,  rose  round  me;  the  walls 
were  covered  with  sculptures  of  extraordinary  richness ;  noble 
statues  lined  the  public  ways;  wealth  in  the  wildest  profusion 
was  visible  wherever  the  foot  trod.  Endless  ranges  of  por- 
phyry and  alabaster  columns  glittered  in  the  noonday  sun. 

88 


TiClanOennG  of  a  Obinb  BtseaseD 


Superb  ascents  of  marble  steps  mounted  before  me,  to  heights  in  tbe 
that  strained  the  eye.  Arch  over  arch  studded  with  the  luster 
of  precious  stones  climbed  until  they  lay  like  rainbows  upon 
the  sky.  Colossal  towers  circling  with  successive  colonnades 
of  dazzling  brightness,  ascended — airy  citadels,  looking  down 
upon  earth,  and  colored  with  the  infinite  dyes  and  lusters  of  the 
clouds.  But  all  was  silence  in  this  scene  of  pomp.  There 
was  no  tread  of  human  being  heard  within  the  circuit  of  a  city, 
fit  for  more  than  man.  The  utter  extinction  of  all  that  gives 
the  idea  of  life  was  startling ;  there  was  not  the  note  of  a  pass- 
ing bird,  nor  the  chirp  of  a  grasshopper.  I  instinctively 
shrank  from  the  sight  of  things  lovely  in  themselves,  yet 
which  froze  my  mind  by  their  image  of  the  tomb.  But  to 
escape  was  impossible ;  there  was  an  impression  of  powerless- 
ness  upon  me,  for  whose  melancholy  I  can  find  no  words. 
My  feet  were  chainless,  but  never  fetter  clung  with  such  a  re- 
tarding weight  as  that  invisible  bond  by  which  I  was  fixed  to 
the  spot.  Ages  on  ages  seemed  to  have  heavily  sunk  away, 
and  still  I  stood,  bound  by  the  same  manacle,  standing  on 
the  same  spot,  looking  on  the  same  objects.  To  this  I  would 
have  preferred  the  fiercest  extremes  of  suffering.  Of  all 
passions  that  dwell  within  the  heart  of  man,  the  passion 
for  change  is  the  most  incapable  of  being  extinguished  or 
eluded. 

But  a  change  at  length  came.  The  sun  sank.  Twilight 
fell,  shade  on  shade,  on  tower  and  column  until  total  darkness 
shrouded  the  scene  of  glory.  Yet,  as  if  a  new  faculty  of  sight 
were  given  to  me,  the  thickest  darkness  did  not  blunt  the  eye. 
I  still  saw  all  things — the  minutest  figures  of  the  architecture, 
the  finest  carving  of  the  airy  castles,  whose  height  was,  even 
in  the  sunshine,  almost  too  remote  for  vision.  Suddenly 
there  echoed  the  murmur  of  many  voices,  the  tramping  of 
many  feet;  the  colossal  gates  opened  and  a  procession  of 
forms  innumerable  entered ;  they  were  of  every  period  of  life, 
of  every  pursuit,  of  every  rank,  of  every  country.  All  the 
various  emblems  of  station,  all  the  weapons  and  implements 
of  mankind,  all  costumes,  rich  and  strange,  civilized  and  sav- 
age ;  all  the  attributes  and  adjuncts  of  the  occupations  of  so- 

89 


Gbou  GUI  1  Come 


H  Spectral  ciety  were  in  that  mighty  train.  The  monarch,  sceptered  and 
crowned,  passed  on  his  throne;  the  soldier  reining  in  his 
charger;  the  philosopher  gazing  on  his  volume;  the  priest 
bearing  the  instruments  of  sacrifice.  It  was  the  triumph  of  a 
power  ruling  all  mankind ;  but  ruling  them  when  their  world 
has  passed  away — DEATH. 

While  I  gazed  in  breathless  awe,  I  found  myself  involved 
in  the  procession.  Resistance  was  in  vain.  I  was  conscious 
that  I  might  as  well  have  struggled  against  the  tides  of  the 
ocean,  or  thought  to  stop  the  revolution  of  the  globe.  We 
advanced  through  the  place  of  darkness  by  millions  of  mil- 
lions, yet  without  crowding  the  majestic  avenue  or  reaching 
its  close.  I  rapidly  recognized  a  multitude  of  faces  which  I 
had  known  from  the  models  and  memorials  of  the  past  ages. 
But  the  power  that  marshaled  them  had  no  regard  for  time. 
The  pale,  fixed  Asiatic  countenance  of  Ninus  moved  beside 
the  glowing  cheek  and  flashing  eye  of  Alexander.  The  patri- 
arch followed  the  Caesar.  The  thousand  years  were  as  one 
day,  the  one  day  as  a  thousand  years. 

Again  the  whole  stately  train  suddenly  melted  before  the 
eye,  and  I  was  alone,  in  tenfold  darkness — entombed.  I  lay 
in  the  sepulcher,  but  with  the  full  vividness  of  life,  and  with 
a  perfect  knowledge  that  there  it  was  my  doom  to  lie  forever. 
A  miraculous  foresight  gave  me  the  fearful  privilege  of  look- 
ing, into  the  most  remote  futurity.  Ages  on  ages  unfolded 
themselves,  with  all  their  wonders,  to  tantalize  me.  I  saw 
worlds  awake  from  chaos  and  return  to  it  in  flood  and  flame. 
I  saw  systems  swept  away  like  the  sand.  The  universe  with- 
ered with  years,  and  rolled  up  like  the  parchment  scroll.  I 
saw  new  regions  of  space,  glowing  with  a  new  creation ;  the 
angelic  hierarchies  rising  through  new  energies,  new  triumphs, 
new  orders  of  existence ;  developments  of  power  and  magnifi- 
cence, of  sublime  mercy  and  essential  glory,  too  high  for  the 
conception  of  mortal  faculties.  Yet  I  was  still  to  be  entombed ! 
No  ray  of  light,  no  sound,  no  trace  of  external  being,  no  sym- 
pathy of  flesh  or  spirit,  of  earth  or  heaven  was  to  reach  me. 
The  four  narrow  walls,  the  winding-sheet,  the  worm,  were  my 
world!  I  seemed  to  lie  thus,  for  periods  beyond  all  counting; 

90 


TJdanOerfng  of  a  /HMnfc  JDfseaseD 


powerless   to  move   a  limb ;    the    sleepless,   conscious,   vivid      m  \Du>tt> 
victim  of  misery  unspeakable — the  bondsman  of  the  sepulcher! 

In  those  wanderings,  I  experienced  not  even  the  slightest 
recollection  of  the  cause  which  had  so  sternly  shaken  my 
brain;  wife,  children,  country,  were  a  blank.  Imagination, 
that  strangest  and  most  imperious  of  our  faculties,  whose 
soarings  from  earth  to  heaven  may  be  among  the  indications 
of  power  beyond  the  grave,  disdains  to  linger  on  the  realities 
of  our  being.  It  delights  in  the  commanding,  the  bold,  the 
superb.  In  my  instance  it  had  the  wildness  of  disease /'but 
who  has  ever  felt  its  workings,  even  in  the  dream  of  health, 
without  wonder  at  its  passion  for  the  richer  and  more  highly 
relieved  remembrances ;  its  singular  skill  in  throwing  together 
the  loftier  portions  of  life  and  nature,  to  the  total  disregard 
of  the  level ;  its  subtlety  in  the  seizure  of  the  circumstances  of 
pain,  its  fabrication  of  adventure,  at  once  of  the  most  regular 
consecutiveness,  and  the  wildest  originality;  and  all  charac- 
terized by  the  same  spontaneous  swiftness  of  change  and 
illimitable  command  over  space  and  time,  a  power  of  instant 
flight  from  continent  to  continent,  and  from  world  to  world — 
the  transit  that  would  actually  fill  up  years  and  ages  the 
work  of  a  moment! — the  actual  moment  expanding  into  years 
and  ages ! 

What  are  those  but  the  infant  attributes  of  the  disembodied 
spirit! — the  imperfect  developments  of  a  state  of  being  to 
which  time  and  space  are  as  nothing — when  man,  shaking  off 
the  covering  of  the  grave,  shall  be  clothed  with  the  might  of 
angels! — the  splendid  denizen  of  Infinitude  and  Eternity! 


91 


CHAPTER  XIV 

The  Fury  of  a  Tempest 

Saiatbid  AT  length  the  past  returned  to  my  mind.  Dim  recollec- 
tuanfcrs  tions,  shadows  that  alternately  advanced  and  eluded  me, 
sketches  of  forms  and  events,  like  pictures  unfinished  by  the 
pencil,  lay  before  me,  colorless  and  undefined.  But  day  by 
day  the  outlines  grew  more  complete,  the  figures  assumed  a 
body,  they  lived — they  moved — they  uttered  sounds;  and 
while  to  other  eyes  I  was  a  solitary  and  hopeless  fugitive 
from  human  converse,  to  my  own  I  was  surrounded  by  a  circle 
of  all  that  I  loved,  yet  with  a  continued  sense  of  privation,  a 
mysterious  feeling  of  something  imperfect  in  the  indulgence 
that  dashed  my  cup  with  bitterness. 

With  the  increase  of  my  strength,  I  became  a  wanderer  to 
great  distances  among  the  mountains.  No  persuasion  of  my 
kinsmen  could  restrain  me  from  those  excursions.  The  mild- 
ness of  a  climate  in  which  the  population  sleep  in  the  open 
air,  and  the  abundance  of  fruits,  met  the  two  chief  difficulties 
of  traveling.  I  felt  an  irresistible  impulse  to  penetrate  the 
mountain  ranges  that  rose  in  chains  of  purple  and  azure  be- 
fore me.  With  the  artifice  of  the  diseased  mind,  I  made  my 
few  preparations  in  secret,  and  with  but  scrip  and  staff, 
marched  forth  to  tread  hill  and  valley,  city  and  desert,  were 
it  to  the  last  limit  of  the  globe. 

Through  what  diversities  of  scene  or  impediments  of  road 
I  passed  no  recollection  remains  with  me.  The  same  instinct 
which  guides  the  bird  led  me  to  the  fruit-tree  and  the  stream, 
taught  me  where  to  shelter  for  the  night,  and  gave  me  sagacity 
enough  for  the  avoidance  of  the  habitual  dangers  of  a  route 
seldom  tried  but  by  the  wolf  and  the  robber. 

My  frame,  gradually  invigorated  by  exercise,  bore  me 
through  all,  and  I  scaled  the  chain  of  Libanus  with  an  un- 

92 


ff urg  of  a  tempest 


wearied  foot.     There  I  reached  the  skirts  of  a  region  where    tin  Sfgbt  of 
,  T  i  ij_  •     J.T.    i_        •  £  o  tbe  ©roves  of 

the  snow  scarcely  melts,  even  in  the  burning  summer  of  Syria.       xcbanon 

The  falling  of  the  leaf  and  the  furious  blasts  that  burst 
through  the  ravines  told  me  that  I  had  spent  months  in  my 
pilgrimage,  and  that  I  must  brave  winter  on  its  throne.  Still 
I  persevered.  I  felt  a  new  excitement  in  the  new  difficulty 
of  the  season ;  I  longed  to  try  my  power  of  endurance  against 
the  storm,  to  wrestle  with  the  whirlwind,  to  baffle  the  torrent. 
The  very  sight  of  the  snow,  as  it  began  to  sheet  the  sides  of 
the  lower  hills,  gave  me  a  vague  idea  of  a  brighter  realm  of 
existence ;  it  united  the  pinnacles  with  the  clouds ;  the  noble 
promontories  and  forest-covered  eminences  no  longer  rose  in 
stern  contrast  with  the  sky ;  they  were  dipped  in  celestial  blue ; 
they  wore  the  silvery  and  sparkling  luster  of  the  morning 
skies ;  they  blushed  in  the  effulgence  of  the  sunset,  with  as 
rich  a  crimson  as  the  cloud  that  crowned  them. 

But  all  was  not  fantastic  vision.  From  the  summit  of  one 
of  those  hills  I  saw  what  was  then  worth  a  pilgrimage  through 
half  the  world  to  see,  the  cedar  grove  of  Lebanon.21  After  a 
day  of  unusual  fatigue  and  perplexity,  I  had  found  my  path 
blocked  up  by  a  perpendicular  pile  of  rock.  To  all  but  my- 
self the  difficulty  might  have  been  impracticable;  but  my 
habits  had  given  me  the  spring  and  sinew  of  a  panther ;  I 
bounded  against  the  marble,  and  after  long  effort,  by  the  help 
of  weeds  and  scattered  roots  of  the  wild  vines,  climbed  my 
perilous  way  to  the  summit.  An  endless  range  of  Syria  lay 
beneath ;  the  sea  and  the  wilderness  gleamed  on  my  left  and 
right ;  and  a  rich  succession  of  dells,  crowded  with  the  date, 
the  oli  'e.  and  the  grape,  in  their  autumnal  dyes,  spread  out 
before  me,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  in  a  laud  whose  air 
is  pure  as  crystal. 

A  sound  of  trumpets  and  wild  harmonies  arose,  and  I  dis- 
covered, at  an  almost  viewless  depth  below,  a  concourse  of 
people  moving  through  the  hollows  of  the  mountains.  The 
tendency  of  man  to  man  is  irresistible ;  and  that  unexpected 
sight,  where  but  the  wild  beast  and  the  eagle  were  to  have 
been  my  companions,  gave  me  the  first  sensation  of  pleasure 
that  I  had  long  experienced.  Bounding  fro™  rock  to  rock 

93 


Carrg  Cbou  GUI  1  Come 


©n  Scriptural  with  a  hazardous  rapidity  which  arrested  the  crowd  in  aston- 
ishment and  alarm,  1  joined  them,  just  in  time  to  see  the 
shafts  and  slings  laid  down,  which  they  had  prepared  for  my 
coming,  in  the  uncertainty  whether  I  were  a  wolf  or  the  leader 
of  a  troop  of  mountain  robbers ! 

They  formed  one  of  the  many  caravans  which  annually 
gathered  from  the  shores  of  the  Mediterranean  to  worship  ;it 
Lebanon.  Their  homage  to  sacred  groves  had  been  transmitted 
from  the  earliest  antiquity,  and  was  universal  in  the  realms  of 
paganism.  To  the  Jew,  worship  on  the  hill  and  under  the 
tree  was  prohibited ;  but  the  forest  that  Solomon  had  chosen, 
the  trees  of  which  the  first  Temple  was  built,  the  foliage 
which  shaded  the  first  planters  of  the  earth,  must  to  the  de- 
scendant of  Abraham  be  full  of  reverent  interest.  The  ground 
was  Scriptural;  the  fiery  string  of  the  prophet  Ezekiel  had 
been  struck  in  its  praise ;  the  noblest  raptures  of  our  poets 
celebrated  the  glory  of  Lebanon ;  the  names  of  the  surrounding 
landscape  recalled  lofty  and  lovely  memories;  the  vale  of 
EDEN  led  to  the  mountain  of  the  Cedars ! 

To  my  fellow-travelers,  traditions  tinged  by  the  fervid 
coloring  of  the  Oriental  fancy  heightened  the  native  power 
of  the  spot.  On  the  summits  of  the  trees  were  said  to  descend 
at  appointed  times  those  ministering  spirits  whose  purpose  is 
to  rectify  the  ways  of  man.  There  stooped  on  the  wing  the 
bearers  of  the  sword  against  the  evil  monarchs ;  there  brooded 
the  angel  of  the  tempest ;  there  the  invisible  ruler  of  the  pes- 
tilence blew  with  his  breath  and  nations  sickened;  there,  in 
night  and  in  the  interval  of  storms,  was  heard  the  trumpet 
that,  before  kings  dreamed  of  quarrel,  announced  the  collision 
of  guilty  empires  for  their  common  ruin.  The  violation  of 
the  grove  was  supposed  to  be  visited  with  the  most  inexorable 
calamity ;  the  hand  that  cut  down  a  tree  for  any  ordinary  use 
withered  from  the  body ;  all  misfortunes  fell  upon  the  man ; 
his  wealth  disappeared,  his  children  died  in  their  prime; 
if  life  was  suffered  to  linger  in  himself,  it  was  only  to  perpetu- 
ate the  warning  of  his  punishment.  Yet,  there  were  gentler 
distinctions  mingled  with  those  stern  attributes.  Above  the 
hill  was  the  pagan  entrance  to  the  skies.  Once  in  the  year, 

94 


jfurs  of  a  tempest 


the  celestial  gate  rolled  back  on  its  golden  hinges  to  sounds  H  Caravan  of 

surpassing   mortal  music ;    the  heavens  dropped  balm ;    the 

prayer  offered  on  that  night  reached  at   once  the  supreme 

throne;  the  tear  was  treasured  in  the  volume  of  light,  and 

the  worshiper  who    died  before  the  envious  coming  of  the 

morn  ascended  to  a  felicity,  earned  by  others  only  through 

the  tardy  trial  of   the  grave!     Even    the  river,   which   ran 

round  the  mountain's  foot,  bore  its  share  of  virtue ;  its  water, 

unpolluted  by  the   decays  of  autumn  or  the   turbidness    of 

winter,  showed  the  preservative  power  of  a  superior  spell ;  it 

was  entitled  the  Holy  Stream,  and  sealed  vessels  of  its  water 

were  sent  even  to  India  and  Italy  as  presents  of  health  and 

sanctity  to  kings,  gifts  worthy  of  kings. 

When  we  entered  the  last  defile,  the  minstrels  and  singers 
of  the  caravan  commenced  a  paean.  Altars  fumed  from  vari- 
ous points  of  the  chasm  above  and  the  Syrian  priests  were 
seen  in  their  robes  performing  the  empty  rites  of  idolatry.  I 
turned  away  from,  this  perversion  of  human  reason,  and  pressed 
forward  through  the  lingering  multitude  until  the  forest  rose 
in  its  majesty  before  me. 

My  step  was  now  checked  in  solemn  admiration.  I  saw  the 
earliest  products  of  the  earth — the  patriarchs  of  the  vegetable 
world.  The  first  generation  of  the  reviving  globe  had  sat 
beneath  these  green  and  lovely  arches ;  the  final  generation 
was  to  sit  beneath  them.  No  roof  so  noble  ever  rose  above 
the  heads  of  monarchs,  tho  it  were  covered  with  gold  and 
diamonds !  The  forest  had  been  greatly  impaired  in  its  extent 
and  beauty  by  the  sacrilegious  hand  of  war.  The  perpetual 
conflicts  of  the  Syrian  and  Egyptian  dynasties  had  laid  the  ax 
to  it  with  remorseless  violation.  It  once  spread  over  the 
whole  range  of  the  mountains ;  its  diminished  strength  now, 
like  the  relics  of  a  mighty  army,  made  its  stand  among  the 
central  fortresses  of  its  native  region;  and  there  majestically 
bade  defiance  to  the  further  assault  of  steel  and  fire.  The 
forms  of  the  trees  seemed  made  for  duration ;  the  trunks  were 
of  prodigious  thickness,  smooth  and  round  as  pillars  of  marble ; 
some  rising  to  a  great  height,  and  throwing  out  a  vast  level 
roof  of  foliage ;  some  dividing  into  a  cluster  of  trunks,  and 

95 


Uarrg  Gbou  Gill  H  Come 


with  their  various  heights  of  branch  and  leaf  making  a  suc- 
cession of  verdurous  caves;  some  propagating  themselves  by 
/"  circles  of  young  cedars,  risen  where  the  fruit  had  dropped 
upon  the  ground ;  the  whole  bearing  the  aspect  of  a  colossal 
temple  of  nature— the  shafted  column,  the  deep  arch,  the 
solid  buttresses,  branching  off  into  the  richest  caprices  of  Ori- 
ental architecture,  the  solemn  roof,  high  above,  pale,  yet 
painted  by  the  strong  sunlight  through  the  leaves  with  trans- 
parent and  tesselated  dyes,  various  as  the  colors  of  the  In- 
dian loom. 

In  the  momentary  feeling  of  awe  and  of  wonder,  I  could 
comprehend  why  paganism  loved  to  worship  under  the  shade 
of  forests  and  why  the  poets  of  paganism  filled  that  shade 
with  the  presence  of  deities.  The  airy  whisperings,  the  deep 
loneliness,  the  rich  twilight,  were  the  very  food  of  mystery. 
Even  the  forms  that .  towered  before  the  eye,  those  ancient 
trees,  the  survivors  of  the  general  law  of  mortality,  gigantic, 
hoary,  covered  with  their  weedy  robes,  bowing  their  aged 
heads  in  the  blast,  and  uttering  strange  sounds  and  groanings 
in  the  struggle,  gave  to  the  high-wrought  superstition  of  the 
time  the  images  of  things  unearthly ;  the  oracle,  and  the  God ! 
Or,  was  this  impression  but  the  obscure  revival  of  one  of  those 
lovely  truths  that  shone  upon  the  days  of  Paradise  when  man 
drew  knowledge  from  its  fount  in  nature,  and  all  but  his 
own  passions  were  disclosed  to  the  first-born  of  creation? 
"""•The  caravan  encamped  in  the  depth  of  the  valley,  and  the 
grove  was  soon  crowded  with  worshipers,  in  whose  homage  I 
could  take  no  share.  Fires  were  lighted  on  the  large  stones, 
which  had  for  ages  served  the  purpose  of  altars;  and  the 
names  of  the  Syrian  idols  were  shouted  and  sung  in  the  fierce 
exultation  of  a  worship  but  slightly  purified  from  its  original 
barbarism.  As  the  night  fell,  I  withdrew  to  the  entrance  of 
the  defile  and  gave  a  last  glance  at  Lebanon.  In  the  grove, 
filled  with  fires,  and  echoing  with  wild  music  and  dances  of 
riot,  I  saw  the  emblem  of  my  fallen  country ;  the  holiness, 
old  as  the  memory  of  nations,  profaned;  yet  the  existence 
preserved,  and  still  to  be  preserved ;  Israel,  once  throned  upon 
its  mountains,  now  diminished  of  its  beauty,  to  be  yet  more 


of  a 


diminished,  but  to  live  when  all  else  perished ;  to  be  restored,    Saiatbfei'a 

and  to  cover  its  native  hills  again  with  glory.     I  buried  my 

face  in  my  robe,  and  throwing  myself  down  by  the  skirt  of 

one  of  the  tents,  gave  way  to  meditations,  sweet  and  bitter. 

They  passed  into  my  sleep  and  I  was  once  more  in  the  bosom 

of  my  family. 

I  heard  my  name  pronounced!  I  listened;  the  name  of 
my  wife  followed.  I  looked  to  the  sky,  to  the  forest,  to 
convince  me  that  this  was  no  mockery  of  the  diseased  mind. 
I  was  fully  awake.  I  lifted  up  the  corner  of  the  tent.  Sav- 
age figures  were  sitting  over  their  cups,  inflamed  into  quarrel ; 
and,  in  the  midst  of  high  words  and  execrations,  I  heard 
their  story.  They  were  robbers  from  Mount  Amanus,22  come 
equally  to  purify  their  hands  by  offering  sacrifice  at  Lebanon, 
and  to  recompense  themselves  for  their  lost  time  by  robbing 
on  the  way  home.  The  quarrel  had  arisen  from  the  proposal 
of  one  of  them  to  extend  their  expedition  into  Judea,  a  pro- 
posal which  he  sustained  by  mentioning  the  success  of  his 
previous  enterprises.  My  name  was  again  sent  from  mouth 
to  mouth,  and  I  found  that  it  was  inscribed  on  some  jewel 
which  formed  a  part  of  his  plunder.  The  thought  struck  me 
that  this  might  afford  a  clue.  I  burst  into  the  tent  and  de- 
manded tidings  of  my  wife  and  children.  The  ruffians  started, 
as  if  in  the  presence  of  a  specter. 

"Where,"  I  repeated,  aare  my  family?     I  am  Salathiel!  " 

"  Safe  enough,"   said  the  foremost. 

"Are  they  alive?"  I  cried;  "lead  me  where  they  are,  and 
you  shall  have  whatever  ransom  you  desire." 

The  ruffian  laughed.  "  Why,  as  for  ransom,  all  the  money 
has  been  made  by  them  that  is  likely  to  be  made  for  some 
time,  unless  the  Greek  that  bought  them  repents  of  his 
bargain. " 

The  speech  was  received  with  loud  laughter.  I  grew  furi- 
ous. 

"  Villains,  you  have  murdered  them.  Tell  me  the  whole — 
show  me  where  they  lie,  or  I  will  deliver  you  up  to  the  chief 
of  the  caravan  as  robbers  and  murderers." 

They  were  appalled;  with   a  single   stride    I  was   at  the 

7  07 


{Tarn?  Cbou  CHI  1  Come 


in  scarcb  throat  of  the  leading  ruffian,  and  seized  the  jewel;  it  was  iny 
?  bridal  present  to  Miriam!  My  hand  trembled,  my  eyes  grew 
dim  at  the  glance.  But  in  the  next  moment  I  found  myself 
pinioned,  a  gag  forced  into  my  mouth,  a  cloak  flung  over  me, 
and  I  heard  the  discussion — whether  I  was  to  be  stabbed  on 
the  spot,  left  to  die  of  famine,  or  have  my  tongue  cut  out,  and 
thus  unfitted  for  telling  secrets,  be  turned  to  gain  and  sold 
for  a  slave. 

But  this  was  not  to  be  my  lot.  The  quarrel  of  the  banditti 
increased  with  their  wine;  blows  were  given;  the  solitary 
lamp  was  thrown  down  in  the  conflict;  it  caught  some  com- 
bustible matter,  and  the  tent  was  in  a  blaze.  By  a  violent  ex- 
ertion I  loosened  the  cords  from  my  arms,  and  in  the  confusion 
fled  unseen.  The  tire  spread,  and  my  last  glance  at  the  valley 
showed  the  encampment  turned  into  a  sheet  of  fire.  Alone, 
and  exhausted  with  deadly  fatigue,  I  yet  had  but  one  thought, 
that  of  seeking  my  family  through  the  world.  I  wandered 
on  through  the  vast  range  of  wild  country  that  guards  Syria 
on  the  side  of  the  desert.  I  was  parched  by  the  burning  noon, 
1  was  frozen  by  the  keen  winds  of  night ;  I  hungered  and 
thirsted,  yet  the  determination  was  strong  as  death,  and  I 
persevered.  I  at  length  reached  the  foot  of  Mount  Amanus, 
traversed  the  chain,  saw  from  it  the  interminable  plains  of 
Asia  Minor,  the  desert  of  Aleppo,  the  shores  of  Tripoli,  and 
was  then  left  only  to  choose  in  which  I  should  again  commence 
my  hopeless  pilgrimage. 

There  is  something  in  great  distress  of  mind  that  throws  a 
strange  protection  round  the  sufferer.  I  passed  the  Koman 
guards  unquestioned — the  robber  left  me  without  inquiring 
whether  I  was  worth  his  dagger.  The  wolves,  driven  down 
by  famine,  and  devouring  all  else  that  had  life,  neglected  the 
banquet  that  I  might  have  supplied.  Yet  I  shrank  from 
nothing,  and  marched  on  through  city,  cave  and  forest.  But 
one  evening  the  sky  was  loaded  with  a  tempest  that  drove 
even  me  to  seek  for  shelter.  I  found  it  in  one  of  the  caverns, 
that  so  often  scare  the  mariner's  eye,  on  the  iron-bound  shore 
of  Cilicia. 

Fatigue  soon  threw  me  into  a  heavy  slumber      The  weight 


jfurg  of  a  tTcmpest 


of  the  tempest  toward  midnight  roused  me,  and  from  the  mouth 
of  the  cavern  I  gazed  on  the  lightning  that  disclosed  at  every 
explosion  the  sea  rolling  in  foaming  ridges  before  the  gale. 
In  the  intervals  of  the  gusts  I  heard,  to  my  surprise,  the 
murmur  of  many  voices,  apparently  in  prayer,  close  beside 
me.  But  all  my  interest  was  suddenly  fixed  on  the  sea  by 
the  sight  of  a  large  war-galley  running  before  the  wind.  She 
had  neither  sail  nor  oar.  Her  masts  were  gone  and  but  for  the 
crowd  of  people  on  her  deck,  whose  distracted  attitudes  I  could 
clearly  see  by  the  flashes,  she  looked  a  floating  tomb. 

To  warn  the  galley  of  the  nearness  of  the  shore,  I  gathered 
the  brushwood  beside  me,  and  set  it  on  fire.  A  shout  from 
the  crew  told  that  my  signal  was  understood,  and  I  rushed 
down  the  bed  of  a  stream  that  fretted  its  way  through  the 
precipice.  Before  I  reached  the  shore,  I  saw  various  fires 
blazing  above,  and  many  figures  hurrying  down  on  a  purpose 
like  my  own.  We  had  not  arrived  too  soon.  The  galley, 
after  desperate  efforts  to  keep  the  sea,  had  run  for  an  inlet  of 
the  rocks  and  was  embayed;  surge  on  surge,  each  higher 
than  the  one  before,  now  rolled  over  the  ill-fated  vessel,  and 
each  swept  some  portion  of  her  crew  into  the  deep.  We  rushed 
into  the  waves  and  had  succeeded  in  drawing  many  to  shore 
when  a  broader  burst,  the  concentrated  force  of  the  tempest, 
thundered  on  the  galley;  she  was  broken  into  splinters. 
Stunned  and  half-suffocated  with  the  surge,  I  grasped,  in  the 
mere  instinct  of  self-preservation,  at  whatever  was  nearest 
and,  through  infinite  hazard,  reached  the  shore  with  a  body 
in  my  arms.  Need  I  tell  my  terror,  anxiety,  hope,  and  joy 
when  I  found  that  this  being,  whom  I  saw  at  length  breath- 
ing, moving,  pronouncing  my  name,  falling  on  my  neck,  was 
Miriam ! 

My  daughters,  too,  were  rescued.  The  nearness  of  the 
shore  saved  the  crew,  who,  until  they  saw  the  fire  on  the 
rocks,  had  given  themselves  up  to  despair.  The  chance  of 
help  led  them  to  steer  close  inland,  and  I  was  congratulated 
as  the  general  preserver.  Miriam's  story  was  brief.  Our 
dwelling  had  been  surrounded  by  a  troop  of  robbers.  The 
household  were  surprised  in  their  sleep.  Resistance  was 

99 


Carry  Cbou  (Till  II  Come 


vain ;  the  rest  was  plunder  and  captivity.  The  robbers,  fear- 
ful of  pursuit,  took  the  road  to  the  mountains  at  full  speed. 
My  wife  and  daughters  were  treated  with  unusual  care,  lest 
their  beauty  should  be  injured,  and  thus  their  value  in  the 
slave-market  of  Tripoli  impaired.  As  the  robber  told  me, 
they  had  been  purchased  by  a  merchant  of  Cyprus,  and  by 
him  conveyed  to  his  island  to  be  sold  to  some  more  opulent 
master.  There  they  were  redeemed  by  an  act  of  equal  gen- 
erosity and  valor,  and  were  returning  to  Judea  when  they 
were  overtaken  by  the  storm. 


100 


CHAPTER  XV 

The  Appeal  of  Miriam 

WHEN  the  first  tumult  of  our  spirits  was  passed,  I  had  Ube 
leisure  to  see  what  changes  the  interval  had  made  in  faces  so 
loved.  Miriam's  betrayed  the  hours  of  distress  and  pain  that 
she  must  have  passed  through,  but  her  noble  style  of  beauty, 
the  emanation  of  a  noble  mind,  was  as  conspicuous  as  ever.  I 
even  thought,  when  her  eyes  met  mine  from  time  to  time,  that 
they  shone  with  a  loftier  intelligence,  as  if  misfortune  had 
raised  their  vision  above  the  things  of  our  trivial  world.  My 
daughters'  forms  had  matured,  but  Salome,  the  elder,  had  to 
a  certain  degree  her  mother's  look;  her  glance  was  bright, 
yet  she  was  often  lost  in  meditation,  and  the  rapid  changes  of 
her  cheek  from  the  deepest  crimson  to  the  whiteness  of  the 
snow  alarmed  me  with  menaces  of  early  decay.  Esther,  too, 
had  undergone  her  revolution.  But  it  was  of  the  'brightest 
texture.  The  seas,  the  skies,  the  mountains  of  Greece,  filled 
her  glowing  spirit  with  images  of  new  life.  She  had  listened 
with  boundless  delight  to  the  traditions  of  that  most  brilliant 
of  all  people ;  the  works  of  the  pencil  and  the  chisel  had  met 
her  eye  in  a  profuseness  and  perfection  that  she  had  never 
contemplated  before ;  her  harp  had  echoed  to  names  of  roman- 
tic valor  and  proud  patriotism ;  and  as  I  gazed  on  her  in  those 
hours  when  in  the  feeling  that  she  was  unobserved  she  gave 
way  to  the  rich  impulses  of  her  soul,  I  thought  alternately  of 
the  prophetess  and  of  the  muse. 

The  shipwreck  converted  the  solitary  shore  into  a  little  vil- 
lage; the  sailors  collected  the  fragments  of  the  vessel  and 
formed  them  into  huts ;  the  caves  that  ran  along  the  level  of 
the  sands  supplied  habitations  in  themselves,  and  by  the  as- 
sistance of  those  dwellers  on  the  precipice,  who  had  so  unex- 
pectedly started  to  light,  the  first  difficulties  of  a  wild  coast 

101 


tlbou  Uill  f  Come 


were  sufficiently  combated.  The  bustling  activity  of  the 
Greek  mariners  and  the  adroitness  with  which  they  availed 
themselves  of  all  contrivances  for  passing  the  heavy  hour, 
their  sleights-of-haud,  sports  and  dances,  their  recitations  of 
popular  poems,  and  their  boat-songs,  kept  the  spot  in  con- 
tinual animation. 

This  was  my  first  contact  with  the  actual  people,  and  I 
acknowledged  their  right  to  have  been  distinguished  among 
the  most  showy  disturbers  of  mankind.  The  evil  of  the  char- 
acter too  was  displayed  without  much  trouble  of  disguise. 
They  habitually  gamed  till  they  had  no  better  stake  than  the 
fragments  of  their  own  clothing ;  but  they  would  game  for  a 
shell,  for  a  stone  that  they  picked  up  on  the  sands,  for  any- 
thing. They  quarreled  with  as  perfect  facility  as  they  gamed ; 
the  knife  was  out  quick  as  lightning,  but  to  do  them  justice 
their  wrath  was  as  brief.  The  combatants  embraced  at  a 
word,  danced,  kissed,  and  wept;  then  drank,  gamed,  quarreled, 
and  were  sworn  brothers  again.  But  this  was  Greece  in  its 
lowest  rank. 

Constantius,  the  commander  of  the  galley,  was  a  specimen 
of  the  land  which  produced  a  Plato  and  a  Pericles.  When  1 
first  saw  him  led  to  me  by  Miriam  as  the  champion  who  had 
restored  her  and  her  children  to  happiness,  I  saw  virtue  and 
manliness  of  the  highest  order  in  his  features.  He  was  in  his 
prime,  but  a  scar  across  his  forehead  and  the  severities  of 
martial  life  had  given  early  seriousness  to  his  countenance. 
Hut  his  conversation  had  the  full  spirit  of  the  spring-time  of 
life.  It  was  incomparably  various  and  animated,  altogether 
free  from  professional  pedantry ;  it  had  the  interest  that  be- 
longs to  professional  feelings.  Military  adventure,  striking 
.traits  of  warlike  intelligence,  the  composition  of  the  fleets  and 
armies  of  the  various  states  that  fought  under  the  wing  of  the 
Roman  eagle,  were  topics  on  which  his  fire  was  exhaustless. 
On  those  I  listened  to  him  with  the  strong  sympathy  of  one 
to  whom  war  must  henceforth  be  the  grand  pursuit ;  war  for 
national  freedom — war  purified  of  its  evil  by  the  most  illustri- 
ous cause  that  ever  unsheathed  the  sword. 

He  had  conversation  for  us  all.     His  intercourse  with  the 

102 


Bppeal  of  flfctriam 


ruling  lands  of  the  earth  gave  hirn  a  copious  store  of  recollec- 
tions, picturesque  and  strange.  Esther  combated  and  ques- 
tioned the  traveler.  Salome  listened  to  the  warrior — listened 
and  loved.  He  had  higher  topics  of  which  I  was  yet  to  hear. 
In  the  inhabitants  of  the  precipice  he  found  a  little  colony  of 
his  countrymen,  fugitive  Christians  driven  out  by  persecution, 
to  make  their  home  in  the  wilderness  of  nature."  The  long 
range  of  caverns  which  perforated  the  rock  gave  them  a  roof. 
The  fertility  of  the  soil,  and  the  occasional  visit  of  a  bark  sent 
by  their  concealed  friends,  supplied  the  necessaries  of  life, 
and  there  they  awaited  the  close  of  that  ferocious  tyranny 
which  at  length  roused  the  world  against  Nero — or  awaited 
the  end  of  all  suffering  in  the  grave.  A  succession  of  storms 
rendered  traveling  impossible  and  detained  us  among  those 
hermits  for  some  days.  I  found  them  intelligent  and,  in  gen- 
eral, men  of  the  higher  ranks  of  knowledge  and  condition. 
Some  were  of  celebrated  families,  and  had  left  behind  them 
opulence  and  authority.  A  few  were  peasants.  But  mis- 
fortune and,  still  more,  principle,  extinguished  all  that  was 
abrupt  in  the  inequality  of  ranks  without  leaving  license  in 
its  stead.  Jew  as  I  was,  and  steadily  bound  to  the  customs 
of  my  country,  I  yet  did  honor  to  the  patience,  the  humility, 
and  the  devotedness  of  those  exiled  men.  I  even  once  at- 
tended their  worship  on  the  first  day  of  the  week,  assured 
that  the  abomination  of  idols  was  not  to  be  found  there,  and 
that  I  should  hear  nothing  insulting  to  the  name  of  Israel. 

The  ceremonial  was  simple.  Those  who  had  witnessed  the 
heaven-commanded  magnificence  of  the  Temple  might  smile 
at  the  bareness  of  walls  of  rock,  figured  only  with  the  wild 
herbage;  or  those  who  had  seen  the  extravagant  and  com- 
plicated rites  of  paganism  might  scorn  the  few  and  obvious 
forms  of  the  homage.  But  there  was  the  spirit  of  strong 
prayer,  the  breathing  of  the  heart,  the  unanswerable  sincer- 
ity. Every  violence  of  the  mere  animal  frame  was  unknown. 
I  saw  no  pagan  convulsion,  no  fierceness  of  outcry  and  ges- 
ture, not  even  the  vehement  solemnity  of  the  Jew.  All  was 
calm ;  tears  stole  down,  but  they  stole  in  silence ;  knees  were 
bowed,  but  there  was  no  prostration ;  prayers  fervent  and  lofty 

103 


Carrg  Cbou  GUI  1  Come 


Cbc  ruomcnt  of  were  poured  forth,  but  they  were  in  accents  uttered  less  from 

Departure     ^  }[p  than  from  the  soul — appeals  of  hallowed  confidence, 

as  to  a  Being  who  was  sure  to  hear  the  voice  of  children  to  a 

Father  who,  wherever  two  or  three  were  gathered  together, 

was  in  the  midst  of  them. 

At  length  the  storms  cleared  away  and  the  sky  wore  the 
native  azure  of  the  climate.  A  messenger  despatched  to 
Cyprus  returned  with  a  vessel  for  the  embarkation  of  the 
Greeks.  Camels  and  mules  were  procured  from  the  neighbor- 
ing country  for  our  journey,  and  the  morning  was  fixed  on 
which  we  were  to  separate.  Yet  with  so  much  reason  for  joy, 
few  resolutions  could  have  been  received  with  less  favor. 
Constantius  almost  shunned  society  or  shared  in  it  with  a 
silence  and  depression  that  made  his  philosophy  more  than 
questionable.  Miriam  was  engaged  in  long  conferences  with 
Salome,  from  which  they  both  came  away  much  saddened. 
Esther  was  thus  my  chief  companion,  and  she  talked  of  the 
shore,  the  sea,  and  even  of  the  tempests,  with  heightened  in- 
terest. The  Greeks,  sailor  and  soldier  alike,  loved  too  well 
the  romantic  ease  and  careless  adventure  of  the  place  to  look 
with  complacency  on  the  little  vessel  in  which  they  were  to 
be  borne  once  more  into  the  land  of  restraint.  The  fugitive 
colony  were  not  the  slowest  in  their  regrets.  They  had  been 
deeply  prepared  for  human  vicissitudes,  and  had  humbled 
themselves  to  all  things ;  yet  such  is  the  strong  and  natural 
connection  of  man  with  man  that  they  lamented  the  solitude 
to  which  they  must  again  be  left,  like  the  commencement  of 
a  new  exile. 

There  are  few  things  more  singular  than  the  blindness  which, 
in  matters  of  the  highest  importance  to  ourselves,  often  hides 
the  truth  that  is  as  plain  as  noon  to  all  other  eyes.  The  cause 
which  had  deprived  Constantius  of  his  eloquence  and  Salome 
of  her  animation  was  obvious  to  every  one  but  me.  Nor  was 
the  mystery  yet  to  be  disclosed  to  my  tardy  knowledge.  I 
had  strayed  through  the  cliffs,  as  was  my  custom  after  the 
heat  of  the  day,  and  was  taking  a  last  look  at  the  sea  from 
the  edge  of  the  precipice.  The  sands  far  below  me  were 
covered  with  preparations  for  the  voyage,  which,  like  our 

104 


Read  the  Scriptures.     I  have  prayed  for  you.      Read —  " 

{seepage  /(X) 


Copyright,  1901,  by  F<rok  &  Wagnmlb  Compmny,  N.  Y.  and  London. 


u  f  Come 


,1  with  • 
i.     Camels  ami  mules 

.untr. 
we  were  to  P« 


t,.    r..uia 
\vith  « 


_ 

V 

,.-     !•> 

-,1  the 


the  truth 

•vvlii.-h  h;i«l  cK-.pnv.-iJ  ' 
of  her  animal  ion  wa.-<  • 
t!if  uivstery  y«-t.  t<-   i»»- 
,.i    -•'•iy.'.l   thnMich    ' 
!,  ,t;  ••!  th«-  day,  and  v> 
•>f  the  precis 
itb    Mp-arati 


Copyright,  1901,  by  Fimk  &  W  agnails  Company,  N.  Y.  and  London. 


Cbe  Bppeal  of  Miriam 


journey,  was  to  commence  with  the  rising  sun.  The  little  Saiatbfel mione 
vessel  lay,  a  glittering  toy,  at  anchor  with  her  thread-like 
streamers  playing  in  the  breeze.  The  sailors  were  fishing, 
preparing  their  evening  meal,  heaving  water  and  provisions 
down  the  rocks,  or  enjoying  themselves  over  flagons  of  Syrian 
wine  round  their  fires.  All  was  the  activity  of  a  seaport,  but 
from  the  height  on  which  I  stood,  all  was  but  the  activity  of 
a  mole-hill. 

"And  is  it  of  such  materials,"  mused  I,  "that  ambition  is 
made?  Is  it  to  command,  to  be  gazed  on,  to  be  shouted  after 
by  such  mites  and  atoms  as  those,  that  life  is  exhausted  in 
watching  and  weariness;  that  our  true  enjoyments  are  sacri- 
ficed; that  the  present  and  the  future  are  equally  cast  from 
us ;  that  the  hand  is  dipped  in  blood  and  the  earth  desolated? 
What  must  Alexander's  triumph  have  looked  to  one  who 
saw  it  from  the  towers  of  Babylon?  A  triumph  of  emmets!  n 
1  smiled  at  the  moral  of  three  hundred  feet  of  precipice. 

A  step  beside  me  put  my  philosophy  to  flight.  My  wife 
stood  there,  and  never  saw  I  her  beauty  more  beautiful.  The 
exertion  of  the  ascent  had  colored  her  cheek ;  the  breeze  had 
scattered  her  raven  locks  across  a  forehead  of  the  purest 
white ;  her  lips  wore  the  smile  so  long  absent,  and  there  was 
altogether  an  air  of  hope  and  joy  in  her  countenance  that 
made  me  instinctively  ask  of  what  good  news  she  was  the 
bearer.  Without  a  word,  she  sat  down  beside  me  and  pressed 
my  hand;  she  fixed  her  eyes  on  mine,  tried  to  speak,  and 
failing,  fell  on  my  neck  and  burst  into  tears.  Alarmed  by 
her  sobs  and  the  wild  beating  of  her  heart,  I  was  about  to  rise 
for  assistance  when  she  detained  me,  and  the  smile  returned ; 
she  bared  her  forehead  to  the  breeze,  and  recovering,  dis- 
burdened her  soul. 

"How  many  billows,"  said  she,  gazing  on  the  sea,  "will 
roll  between  that  little  bark  and  this  shore  to-morrow !  There 
is  always  something  melancholy  in  parting.  Yet  if  that  vessel 
could  feel,  with  what  delight  would  she  not  wing  her  way  to 
Cyprus,  lovely  Cyprus !  " 

I  was  surprised.  "Miriam!  this  from  you?  Can  you 
regret  the  place  of  paganism — the  land  of  your  captivity?  " 

105 


Gbou  Gill  1  Come 


"No,"  was  the  answer,  with  a  look  of  lofty  truth;  "I  ab- 
18  hoi-red  the  guilty  profanations  of  the  pagan ;  and  who  can 
love  the  dungeon?  Even  were  Cyprus  a  paradise,  I  should 
have  felt  unhappy  in  the  separation  from  my  country  and 
from  you.  Yet  those  alone  who  have  seen  the  matchless 
loveliness  of  the  island— the  perpetual  animation  of  life  in  a 
climate  and  in  the  midst  of  scenes  made  for  happiness — can 
know  the  sacrifice  that  must  be  made  by  its  people  in  leaving 
it,  and  leaving  it  perhaps  forever." 

"The  crew  of  that  galley  are  not  to  be  tried  by  long  exile. 
In  two  days  at  furthest,  they  will  anchor  in  their  own  har- 
bor, "  was  my  only  answer. 

"  And  how  deeply  must  the  sacrifice  be  enhanced  by  the 
abandonment  of  rank,  wealth,  professional  honors! — and  this 
is  the  sacrifice  on  which  I  have  been  sent  to  consult  my  hus- 
band." 

I  was  totally  at  a  loss  to  conceive  of  whom  she  spoke. 

"Our  friend — our  deliverer  from  captivity  or  death — the 
generous  being  who,  through  infinite  hazards,  restored  your 
wife  and  children  to  happiness  and  home — 

"Constantius?  Impossible!  At  the  very  age  of  ambition, 
with  his  talents,  his  knowledge  of  life,  his  prospects  of  dis- 
tinction ! " 

"  Constantius  will  never  return  to  Cyprus  in  that  galley — 
will  never  draw  sword  for  Rome  again — will  never  quit  the 
land  given  by  Heaven  to  our  fathers,  if  sxich  be  the  will  of 
Salathiel." 

"Strange.  But  his  motives?  He  is  superior  to  the  fickle- 
ness that  abandons  an  honorable  course  of  life  through  the 
pure  love  of  novelty — or  is  he  weary  of  the  absurdities  of 
paganism?  " 

"Thoroughly  weary — more  than  weary:  he  has  abjured 
them  forever  and  ever." 

"You  rejoice  me.  But  it  was  to  be  expected  from  his 
manly  mind.  You  have  brought  an  illustrious  convert,  my 
beloved !  and  if  your  captivity  has  done  this,  it  was  the  will 
of  Heaven.  Constantius  shall  be  led  with  distinction  to  the 
Temple  and  be  one  of  ourselves.  Judea  may  yet  require  such 

106 


Bppeal  of  /BMrfam 


men.     Our  holy  religion  may  exult  in  such  conquests  from  the      flMriam's 
darkness  of  the  idolatrous  world." 

The  voice  of  the  hermits  at  their  evening  prayer  now  arose 
and  held  us  in  a  silence  which  neither  seemed  inclined  to 
break.  Many  thoughts  pressed  on  my  mind :  the  addition  to 
our  circle  of  a  man  whom  I  honored  and  esteemed ;  the  ac- 
cession of  a  practised  soldier  to  our  cause ;  the  near  approach 
of  the  hour  of  conflict ;  the  precarious  fate  of  those  I  loved  in 
the  great  convulsion  which  was  to  rend  away  the  Roman  yoke 
or  leave  Judea  a  tomb.  I  accidentally  looked  up  and  saw  that 
Miriam  had  been  as  abstracted  as  myself.  But  war  and 
policy  were  not  in  the  contemplations  of  the  beaming  counte- 
nance ;  nor  their  words  on  the  lips  that  quivered  and  crimsoned 
before  me.  Her  eyes  were  fixed  on  the  sky,  and  she  was  in 
evident  prayer,  which  I  desired  not  to  disturb. 

She  at  length  caught  my  glance  and  blushed  like  one  de- 
tected; but  quickly  recovering,  said  in  a  tone  never  to  be 
forgotten:  "My  husband!  my  lord!  my  love!  would  that  I 
dared  open  my  whole  spirit  to  you !  would  that  you  could 
read  for  yourself  the  truths  written  in  my  heart ! " 

"Miriam!" 

"  This  is  no  reproach.  But  I  know  your  strength  of  opinion 
— your  passion  for  all  that  concerns  the  glory  of  Israel; 
your  right,  the  right  of  talents  and  character  to  the  foremost 
rank  among  the  priesthood — and  those  things  repel  me." 

"Speak  out  at  once.  We  can  have  no  concealments, 
Miriam;  candor,  candor  in  all  things." 

"  You  have  heard  the  prayers  of  those  exiles ;  you  acknowl- 
edge their  acquirements  and  understandings ;  they  have  sac- 
rificed much,  everything — friends,  country,  the  world.  Can 
such  men  have  been  imposed  on?  Can  they  have  imposed  on 
themselves?  Is  it  possible  that  their  sacrifices  could  have 
been  made  for  a  fiction?  " 

"Perhaps  not;  the  question  is  difficult.  We  are  strangely 
the  slaves  of  impulse.  Men  every  day  abandon  the  most 
obvious  good  for  the  most  palpable  follies.  Enthusiasm  is  a 
minor  madness. " 

"But  are  those  exiles  enthusiasts?     They  are  grave  men, 

107 


Gbou  GUI  U  Come 


•She  -fcope  experienced  in  life ;  their  language  is  totally  free  from  ex- 
travagance; they  reason  with  singular  clearness;  they  live 
with  the  most  striking  command  over  the  habits  of  their 
original  condition.  Greeks  as  they  are,  you  see  no  haste  of 
temper,  you  hear  no  violence  of  language  among  them.  Once 
idolaters,  they  shrink  from  the  thought  of  idols.  Now  fugi- 
tive and  persecuted,  they  pray  for  their  persecutors.  Sharing 
the  lair  of  wild  beasts,  and  driven  out  from  all  that  they 
knew  and  loved,  they  utter  no  complaint — they  even  rejoice 
in  their  calamity  and  offer  up  praises  to  the  mercy  that  shut 
the  gates  of  earth  upon  their  steps,  only  to  open  the  gates  of 
heaven." 

"I  am  no  persecutor,  Miriam.  Nay,  I  honor  the  self- 
denial,  as  I  doubt  not  the  sincerity  of  those  men.  But  if  they 
have  thrown  off  a  portion  of  their  early  blindness,  why  not 
desire  the  full  illumination?  Why  linger  half-way  between 
fasehood  and  truth?  It  is  not,  as  you  know,  our  custom  to 
solicit  proselytes.  But  such  men  might  be  not  unworthy  of 
the  hope  of  Israel." 

H  It  is  to  the  hope  of  Israel  that  they  have  come,  that  they 
cling,  that  they  look  up  for  a  recompense — a  glorious  recom- 
pense for  their  sufferings." 

"Let  them  then  join  us  at  sunrise,  and  come  to  our  holy 
city." 

"  Salathiel,  the  time  is  declared  when  men  shall  worship 
not  in  that  mountain  alone,  but  through  all  lands ;  when  the 
yoke  of  our  law  shall  be  lightened  and  the  weary  shall  have 
rest ;  when  the  altar  shall  pass  away  as  the  illustrious  victim 
has  passed,  and  the  wisdom  of  heaven  shall  be  the  possession 
of  all  mankind." 

I  looked  at  her  in  astonishment.     "  Miriam,  this  from  you ! 
from  a  daughter  of  the  blood  of  Jacob !  from  the  wife  of  a» 
servant  of  the  Temple !     Have  you  become  a  Christian?  " 

"I  have  done  nothing  in  presumption.  I  have  prayed  to 
the  Source  of  light  that  He  would  enlighten  my  understand- 
ing ;  I  have,  night  and  day,  examined  the  law  and  the  prophets. 
Bear  with  my  weakness,  Salathiel,  if  it  be  proved  weakness. 
But  if  it  be  wisdom,  knowledge,  and  truth,  I  implore  you  by 

108 


ilbe  Bppeal  of  flMrtam 


our  love,  nay,  by  the  higher  interests  of  your  own  soul,  to  "Cbe  coming  of 

r     i  i  i        M 

follow  my  example." 

It  was  impossible  to  answer  harshly  to  a  remonstrance  ex- 
pressed with  the  overflowing  fondness  of  the  heart :  I  could 
only  remind  her  of  the  unchangeable  promises  made  to  Judaism. 

"  But  it  is  of  those  promises  I  speak,"  urged  she ;  "  we  have 
.seen  the  day  that  our  father  Abraham  longed  to  see ;  that 
mighty  Being,  the  Lord  of  eternity,  the  express  image  of  the 
glory  of  the  Invisible,  the  hope  of  the  patriarch,  the  promise 
of  the  prophet,  has  come." 

I  was  alarmed. 

"  Yet  Israel  is  divided  and  enslaved,  torn  by  capricious 
tyranny,  and  hurrying  to  the  common  ruin  of  doomed  nations. 
Is  this  the  triumphant  kingdom,  of  prophecy?  " 

"Salathiel,  I  have  doubted  like  you;  but  I  have  been  at 
length  convinced  out  of  the  mouths  of  the  prophets  them- 
selves. Have  they  not  declared  that  Israel  should  suffer  be- 
fore it  triumphed,  and  suffer  too  for  a  period  that  strikes  the 
mind  with  terror?  that  the  King  of  Israel  should  be  excluded 
from  his  kingdom — nay,  take  upon  him  the  form  of  a  servant 
— nay,  die,  and  die  by  a  death  of  pain  and  shame  the  death 
of  a  slave  and  criminal?  " 

"  It  is  so  written.     But  it  is  beyond  our  power  to  reconcile." 

"  Pray  then  for  the  power,  and  it  will  be  given  to  you. 
Ask  for  the  spirit  of  holy  intelligence,  and  it  will  enlighten 
you.  Pride  is  the  crime  of  our  nation.  Humility  would  take 
the  veil  from  the  eyes  of  our  people.  Salathiel,  my  lord,  the 
being  treasured  in  my  heart!  read  the  Scriptures.  I  have 
prayed  for  you.  Read " 

"  But  how  can  the  promise  of  the  kingdom  be  denied?  It 
is  the  theme  first,  last,  and  without  end  of  all  the  inspired 
masters  of  Israel.  What  splendor  and  reality  of  history  was 
ever  more  vivid  and  real  than  the  glorious  promises  of  Isaiah?  " 
I  murmured. 

"  Yet  what  force  and  minuteness  of  picturing  ever  excelled 
Isaiah's  description  of  the  lowliness,  the  obscurity,  the  rejec- 
tion, the  agonies,  and  the  death  of  the  Messiah?  Why  shall 
we  suppose  that  the  one  description  is  true  and  the  other  false? 

iuy 


Carrg  Gbou  (Till  f  Come 


Saiatbiei  Has  not  the  same  inspiration  p^iven  both?  Why  shall  we 
pa'umism  conceive  that  the  Messiah  and  His  kingdom  must  appear  to- 
gether? We  see  the  time  of  His  first  coming  defined  to  a  year, 
by  our  great  prophet  Daniel.  But  where  do  we  see  the  time 
of  the  triumphant  kingdom  defined?  Why  may  it  not  follow 
at  a  distance  of  ages?  We  know  that  we  shall  stand  at  the 
latter  day  upon  the  earth  and  in  our  flesh  shall  see  God.  Why 
shall  not  the  triumph  be  reserved  for  that  day  of  glory?  Are 
our  people  now  fit  to  be  a  nation  of  kings?  Or  are  the  best 
of  us,  in  the  mortal  feebleness  of  our  nature,  tit  to  share  in  a 
triumph  in  which  angels  are  to  minister?  fit  dwellers  of  a  city 
from  which  error  and  evil  are  to  be  excluded ;  in  which  there 
is  to  be  no  tear,  no  human  suffering,  no  remembered  bitter- 
ness ;  '  a  city  whose  builder  and  maker  is  God ' ;  within  whose 
walls  live  holiness,  power,  and  virtue ;  on  whose  throne  sits 
the  Omnipotent !  " 

Sensations  to  which  I  dared  not  give  utterance  oppressed 
me ;  my  crime,  my  fate,  rose  up  before  the  mental  eye.  I 
had  no  answer  for  this  admirable  woman.  Her  pure  zeal  and 
her  holiness  of  heart  touched  me  deeply.  But  let  no  man 
blame  my  stubbornness  until  he  has  weighed  the  influence  of 
feelings,  born  in  a  people,  strengthened  by  their  history, 
reenforced  by  miracle,  and  authenticated  by  the  words  of  in- 
spiration. That  Judaism  was  purity  itself  to  the  worship  and 
morals  of  the  pagan  world,  that  it  was  the  continued  object 
of  a  particular  Providence,  that  it  alone  possessed  the  revela- 
tions of  God,  were  facts  that  defied  doubt.  And  that  those 
high  distinctions  should  be  made  void,  and  the  slavish  mind 
of  paganism  be  admitted  into  our  privileges — still  more,  that 
it  should  be  admitted  to  the  exclusion  of  the  chosen  line — 
seemed  to  me  a  conclusion  that  no  reasoning  could  substan- 
tiate ;  a  fantastic  and  airy  fiction  to  which  no  reasoning  could 
be  applied. 

The  moon  ascended  in  serenity,  and  her  orb,  slightly  tinged 
by  the  many -colored  clouds  that  lay  upon  the  horizon,  threw 
a  faint  silver  upon  the  precipice.  The  sounds  below  were 
hushed;  the  moving  figures,  the  vessel,  the  sea,  the  cliffs, 
were  totally  veiled  in  purple  mist.  We  could  not  have  been 

110 


Bppeal  ot  dfciriam 


more  alone  if  we  had  been  seated  on  a  cloud,  and  the  beauty,  Ube  Secret  of  a 
the  exalted  gesture,  and  the  glowing  wisdom  of  the  being  be- 
fore me  were  like  those  that  we  conceive  of  spirits  delegated 
to  lead  the  disembodied  mind  upward  from  world  to  world. 
A  sea-bird  winging  its  way  above  our  heads  broke  the  reverie. 
I  reminded  my  teacher  that  it  grew  late  and  our  absence 
might  produce  anxiety. 

"Salathiel,"  said  she,  with  mingled  fervor  and  softness, 
"you  know  I  love  you;  never  was  heart  more  fondly  bound 
to  another  than  is  mine  to  you.  I  am  grateful  for  your  per- 
mission to  receive  Constantius  into  our  tribe.  But  one  obliga- 
tion, infinitely  dearer,  you  can  confer  on  me — read  this  scroll." 
She  drew  from  her  bosom  a  letter,  written  to  his  church  by 
one  of  the  Christian  leaders  in  Asia.  "  I  desire  not  to  offend 
your  convictions,  nor  to  hasten  you  into  a  rash  adoption  of 
those  of  others.  But  in  this  scroll  you  will  find  philosophy 
without  its  pride,  and  knowledge  without  its  guile ;  you  will 
find,  furthermore,  the  disclosure  of  those  mysteries  which  have 
so  long  perplexed  our  people.  Eead,  and  may  He  who  can 
bring  wisdom  out  of  the  lips  of  babes,  and  make  the  wisdom 
of  the  wise  foolishness,  shed  His  light  upon  the  generous  heart 
of  my  husband !  " 

At  another  time  I  might  have  started  in  horror  from  this 
avowal  of  her  faith.  But  the  scene,  the  circumstances,  an 
unaccountable  internal  impression — a  voice  of  the  soul,  pro- 
hibited me.  I  took  her  trembling  hand,  and  without  a  word 
led  her  down  to  our  dwelling. 


Ill 


CHAPTER  XVI 

The  Heart   of  Salome 

Saiatbici  No  tidings  sooner  make  themselves  known  than  those  of  the 
9t»omcwart»6  heart.  We  found  our  daughters  waiting  anxiously  at  the  en- 
trance of  the  cave,  which  had  been  fitted  up  for  our  temporary 
shelter.  Before  a  word  could  be  exchanged,  a  glance  from 
Miriam  told  the  success  of  her  mission,  and  anxiety  was 
turned  into  delight.  Esther  danced  round  me  and  was  elo- 
quent in  her  gratitude.  Salome  shed  silent  tears,  and  when 
1  attempted  to  wipe  them  away,  fell  fainting  into  my  arms. 
We  spent  a  part  of  the  night  in  the  open  air;  the  last  wine 
and  fruits  of  our  store  were  brought  out ;  the  Cypriot  exiles 
came  down  from  their  rocks ;  the  crew  of  the  galley,  already 
on  board,  danced,  sang,  and  drank  to  the  success  of  the  voy- 
age ;  and  it  was  not  till  the  moon,  our  only  lamp,  was  about 
to  be  extinguished  in  the  waters,  that  we  thought  of  closing 
our  final  night  on  the  Syrian  shore. 

We  traveled  along  the  coast  as  far  as  Berytus ;  then  turn- 
ing to  the  eastward,  crossed  the  Libanus  and  the  mountain 
country  that  branches  into  Upper  Galilee.  Our  coming  had 
been  long  announced,  and  we  found  Eleazar,  Jubal,  and  our 
chief  kinsmen  waiting  at  one  of  the  passes  to  lead  us  home  in 
triumph.  The  joy  of  our  tribe  was  honest  if  it  was  tumultu- 
ous, and  many  a  shout  disturbed  the  solitude  as  we  moved 
along.  My  impatience  increased  when  we  reached  the  well- 
known  hills  that  sheltered  what  was  once  my  home.  Yet  I 
remembered  too  keenly  the  shock  of  seeing  its  desolation  not 
to  dread  the  first  sight  of  the  spot,  and  rode  away  from  the 
group  at  full  speed  that  my  nervousness  might  have  time  to 
subside  before  their  arrival.  But  at  the  foot  of  the  last  as- 
cent I  drew  the  rein.  Every  tree,  every  bush,  almost  every 

112 


Tbeart  of  Salome 


stone,  had  been  familiar  to  me  in  my  wanderings,  and  were   H  Surprising 
now  painful  memorials  of  the  long  malady  of  my  mind. 

Eleazar,  who  watched  me  during  the  latter  part  of  the 
journey  with  something  of  a  consciousness  of  my  thoughts, 
put  spurs  to  his  horse,  and  found  me  standing,  pale  and 
palpitating. 

"Come,"  said  he,  "we  must  not  alarm  Miriam  by  thinking 
too  much  of  the  past ;  let  us  try  if  the  top  of  the  hill  will  not 
give  us  a  better  prospect  than  the  bottom." 

I  shrank  from  the  attempt. 

"  No ! "  said  I ;  "  the  horror  that  the  prospect  once  gave 
me  must  not  be  renewed.  Let  us  change  the  route,  no  matter 
how  far  round ;  the  sight  of  that  ruin  would  distract  me  to 
the  last  hour  of  my  life." 

He  only  smiled  in  reply,  and  catching  my  bridle,  galloped 
forward.  A  few  seconds  placed  us  on  the  summit  of  the  hill. 
Could  I  believe  my  eyes!  All  below  was  as  if  rapine  had 
never  been  there.  The  gardens,  the  cattle,  the  dwellings,  lay 
a  living  picture  under  the  eye. 

"  This  is  miracle !  "  I  exclaimed. 

"  No ;  or  it  is  but  the  miracle  of  a  little  activity  and  a 
great  deal  of  good  will,"  was  the  answer  of  my  companion. 
"  Your  kinsmen  did  this  at  the  time  when  you  were  slum- 
bering with  the  wolf  and  bear  in  the  Libanus ;  Nature  did  her 
part  in  covering  your  fields  and  gardens ;  and  those  sheep  and 
cattle  are  a  tribute  of  gratitude  from  your  brother  for  the  pres- 
ervation of  his  life. " 

Our  troop  now  ascended  the  height.  The  land  lay  beneath 
them  in  the  luxuriance  of  summer.  They  were  ardent  in  their 
expressions  of  surprise  and  pleasure.  We  rushed  down  the 
defile,  and  I  was  once  more  master  of  a  home.  Public  events 
had  rapidly  ripened  in  my  absence.24  Popular  w.rath  was 
stimulated  by  increased  exaction.  Law  was  more  palpably 
perverted  into  insolence.  Order  was  giving  way  on  all  sides. 
The  Roman  garrisons,  neglected  and  ill  paid,  were  adopting 
the  desperate  habits  of  the  populace,  and  in  the  general  scorn 
of  religion  and  right,  the  country  was  becoming  a  horde  of 
robbers.  The  ultimate  causes  of  this  singular  degeneracy 

8  113 


Carrg  Cbou  GUI  H  Come 


"Cbc  policy  of  might  be  remote  and  set  in  action  by  a  vengeance  above  man  ; 
but  the  immediate  causes  were  plain  to  every  eye. 

The  general  principles  of  Rome  in  the  government  of  her 
conquests  were  manly  and  wise.  When  the  soldier  had  done 
his  work — and  it  was  done  vigorously,  yet  with  but  little  vio- 
lence beyond  that  which  was  essential  for  complete  subjuga- 
tion— the  sword  slept  as  an  instrument  of  evil,  and  awoke 
only  as  an  instrument  of  justice. 

If  neighboring  kingdoms  quarreled,  a  legion  marched 
across  the  border  and  brought  the  belligerents  to  sudden 
reason;  dismissed  their  armies  to  their  hearths  and  altars, 
and  sent  the  angry  chiefs  to  reconcile  their  claims  in  an 
Italian  dungeon.  If  a  disputed  succession  threatened  to  em- 
broil the  general  peace,  the  proconsul  ordered  the  royal  com- 
petitors to  embark  for-  Rome,  and  there  settle  the  right  before 
the  senate. 

The  barbaric  invasions  which  had  periodically  ravaged  the 
Eastern  empires  even  in  their  day  of  power  were  repelled 
with  a  terrible  vigor.  The  legions  left  the  desert  covered 
with  the  tribe  for  the  feast  of  the  vulture,  and  showed  to 
Europe  the  haughty  leaders  of  the  Tatar,  Gothic,  and  Arab 
myriads  in  fetters,  dragging  wains,  digging  iu  mines,  or 
sweeping  the  highways. 

If  peace  could  be  an  equivalent  for  freedom,  the  equivalent 
was  never  so  amply  secured.  The  world  within  this  iron 
boundary  flourished;  the  activity  and  talent  of  man  were 
urged  to  the  highest  pitch;  the  conquered  countries  were 
turned  from  wastes  and  forests  into  fertility ;  ports  were  dug 
upon  naked  shores ;  cities  swelled  from  villages ;  population 
spread  over  the  soil  once  pestilential  and  breeding  only  the 
weed  and  the  serpent.  The  sea  was  covered  with  trade ;  the 
pirate  and  the  marauder  were  unheard  of  or  hunted  down. 
Commercial  enterprise  shot  its  lines  and  communications  over 
the  map  of  the  earth,  and  regions  were  then  familiar  which 
even  the  activity  of  the  revived  ages  of  Europe  has  scarcely 
made  known. 

Those  were  the  wonders  of  great  power  steadily  directed  to 
a  great  purpose.  General  coercion  was  the  simple  principle, 

114 


t>eart  of  Salome 


and  the  only  talisman  of  a  Roman  Emperor  was  the  chain,  Ube  swence  of 

except  where  it  was  casually  commuted  for  the  sword;  the 

universality  of  the  compression  atoned  for  half  its  evil.     The 

natural  impulse  of  man  is  to  improvement;  he  requires  only 

security  from  rapine.     The  Roman  supremacy  raised  round 

him  an  impregnable  wall.     It  was  the  true  government  for  an 

era  when  the  habits  of  reason  had  not  penetrated  the  general 

human  mind.     Its   chief  evil  was  in   its  restraint  of  those 

nobler  and  loftier  aspirations  of  genius  and  the  heart  which 

from  time  to  time  raise  the  general  scale  of  mankind. 

Nothing  is  more  observable  than  the  decay  of  original 
literature,  of  the  finer  architecture  and  of  philosophical  in- 
vention, under  the  empire.  Even  military  genius,  the  natural 
product  of  a  system  that  lived  but  on  military  fame,  disap- 
peared ;  the  brilliant  diversity  of  warlike  talent  that  shone  on 
the  very  verge  of  the  succession  of  the  Caesars  sank  like  fall- 
ing stars,  to  rise  no  more.  No  captain  was  again  to  display 
the  splendid  conception  of  Pompey's  boundless  campaigns; 
the  lavish  heroism  and  inexhaustible  resource  of  Antony ;  or 
the  mixture  of  undaunted  personal  enterprise  and  profound 
tactic,  the  statesmanlike  thought,  generous  ambition,  and 
high-minded  pride  that  made  Caesar  the  very  emblem  of  Rome. 
But  the  imperial  power  had  the  operation  of  one  of  those 
great  laws  of  nature  which  through  partial  evil  sustain  the 
earth — a  gravitating  principle  which,  if  it  checked  the  ascent 
of  some  gifted  beings  beyond  the  dull  level  of  life,  yet  kept 
the  infinite  multitude  of  men  and  things  from  flying  loose 
beyond  all  utility  and  all  control. 

Yet  it  was  only  for  a  time.  The  empire  was  but  the  super- 
structure of  the  republic,  a  richer,  more  luxuriant,  and  more 
transitory  object  for  the  eye  of  the  world,  and  the  storm  was 
already  gathering  that  was  to  shake  it  to  the  ground.  The 
corruptions  of  the  palace  first  opened  the  imperial  ruin. 
They  soon  extended  through  every  department  of  the  state. 
If  the  habitual  fears  of  the  tyrant  in  the  midst  of. a  headlong 
populace  could  scarcely  restrain  him  in  Rome,  what  must 
be  the  excesses  of  his  minions  where  no  fear  was  felt,  where 
complaint  was  stifled  by  the  dagger,  and  where  the  goveru- 

115 


Sbou  GUI  fl  Come 


•Roman       ment  was  bought  with  bribes,  to  be  replaced  only  by  licensed 

B^adcc  •       • 

rapine ! 

The  East  was  the  chief  victim.  Tho  vast  northern  and 
western  provinces  of  the  empire  pressed  too  closely  on  Home, 
were  too  poor  and  too  warlike  to  be  the  favorite  objects  of 
Italian  rapacity.  There  a  new  tax  raised  an  insurrection; 
the  proconsular  demand  of  a  loan  was  answered  by  a  flight 
which  stripped  the  land,  or  by  the  march  of  some  unheard-of 
tribe,  pouring  down  from  the  desert  to  avenge  their  country- 
men. The  character,  too,  of  the  people,  influenced  the  choice 
of  their  governors.  Brave  and  experienced  soldiers,  not 
empty  and  vicious  courtiers,  must  command  the  armies  that 
were  thus  liable  to  be  hourly  in  battle,  and  on  whose  discipline 
depended  the  slumbers  of  every  pillow  in  Italy.  Stern  as  is 
the  life  of  camps,  it  has  its  virtues,  and  men  are  taught  con- 
sideration for  the  feelings,  rights,  and  resentments  of  man  by 
a  teacher  that  makes  its  voice  heard  through  the  tumult  of 
battle  and  the  pride  of  victory.  But  all  was  reversed  in  Asia, 
remote,  rich,  habituated  to  despotism,  divided  in  language, 
religion,  and  blood ;  with  nothing  of  that  fierce,  yet  generous 
clanship,  which  made  the  Gaul  of  the  Belgian  marshes  listen 
to  the  trumpet  of  the  Gaul  of  Narbonne,  and  the  German  of 
the  Vistula  burn  with  the  wrongs  of  the  German  of  the  Rhine. 

Under  Nero,  Judea  was  devoured  by  Roman  avarice.  She 
had  not  even  the  sad  consolation  of  owing  her  evils  to  the 
ravage  of  those  nobler  beasts  of  prey  in  human  shape  that 
were  to  be  found  in  the  other  provinces — she  was  devoured  by 
locusts.  The  polluted  palace  supplied  her  governors ;  a  slave 
lifted  into  office  by  a  fellow  slave;  a  pampered  profligate, 
exhausted  by  the  expenses  of  the  capital ;  a  condemned  and 
notorious  extortioner,  with  no  other  spot  to  hide  'his  head, 
were  the  gifts  of  Nero  to  my  country.  Pilate,  Felix,  Festus, 
Albinus,  Fionas,  a  race  more  profligate  and  cruel  as  our  catas- 
trophe approached,  tore  the  very  bowels  of  the  land.  Of  the 
last  two  it  was  said  that  Albinus  should  have  been  grateful 
to  Florus  for  proving  that  he  was  not  the  basest  of  mankind, 
by  the  evidence  that  a  baser  existed ;  that  he  had  a  respect 
for  virtue  by  his  condescending  to  commit  those  robberies 


1>eart  of  Salome 


in  private  which  his  successor  committed  in  public ;  and  that 
he  had  human  feeling  by  his  abstaining  from  blood  where 
he  cxmld  gain  nothing  by  murder;  while  Florus  disdained 
alike  concealment  and  .cause,  and  slaughtered  for  the  public 
pleasure  of  the  sword ! 

A  number  of  partial  insurrections,  easily  suppressed,  dis- 
played the  wrath  of  the  people  and  indulged  the  cruelty  of 
the  procurator.  They  indulged  also  his  avarice.  Defeat  was 
followed  by  confiscation ;  and  Florus  even  boasted  that  he  de- 
sired nothing  more  prosperous  than  insurrection  in  every  vil- 
lage of  Judea.  He  was  about  to  be  gratified  before  he  had 
prepared  himself  for  this  luxury ! 

A  menial  in  my  house  was  detected  with  letters  from  an 
agent  of  the  Roman  governor.  They  required  details  of  my 
habits  and  resources,  which  satisfied  me  that  I  had  become  an 
object  of  vengeance.  From  the  time  of  my  return  I  had  seen 
with  bitterness  of  soul  the  insults  to  my  country.  I  had 
summoned  my  friends  to  ascertain  what  might  be  our  means 
of  resistance,  and  found  them  as  willing  and  devoted  as  be- 
came men ;  but  our  resources  for  more  than  the  first  burst  of 
popular  wrath,  the  seizure  of  some  petty  Eoman  garrison,  or 
the  capture  of  a  convoy,  were  nothing.  The  jealousies  of  the 
chief  men  of  the  tribes,  the  terrors  of  Rome,  the  positions  of 
the  Roman  troops,  cutting  off  military  communication  between 
the  north  and  south  of  Judea,  made  the  attempt  hopeless,  and 
it  was  abandoned  for  the  time.  Even  those  letters  which 
marked  me  for  a  victim  made  no  change  in  my  determination 
that  if  I  could  not  escape  danger  by  individual  means,  no 
public  blood  should  be  laid  to  my  charge.  For  a  few  months 
all  was  tranquil ;  the  habits  of  rural  life  are  calculated  to  keep 
depressing  thoughts  at  a  distance.  My  wife  and  daughters 
returned  to  their  graceful  pursuits,  with  the  added  pleasure 
of  novelty  after  so  long  a  cessation.  I  hunted  through  the 
hills  with  Constantius,  or,  traversing  the  country  which 
might  yet  be  the  scene  of  events,  availed  myself  of  the  knowl- 
edge of  a  master  of  the  whole  science  of  Roman  war. 

At  home  the  works  of  the  great  poets  of  the  West,  with 
whom  our  guest  had  made  us  familiar,  varied  the  hours ;  but 

117 


Cbou  Gilt  U  Come 


saiatbfei'0  I  found  a  still  more  stirring  and  congenial  interest  in  the  his- 
for  Ulster?  tories  of  Greek  valor,  and  in  the  study  of  the  mighty  ininds 
that  made  and  unmade  empires. 

With  the  touching  and  picturesque  narrative  of  Herodotus 
in  my  hand,  I  pantingly  followed  the  adventures  of  the  most 
brilliant  of  nations.  I  fought  the  battle  with  them  against 
the  Persian ;  I  saw  them  gathered  in  little  startled  groups  on 
the  hills,  or  flying  in  their  little  galleys  from  island  to  island, 
the  land  deserted,  the  sea  covered  with  fugitives ;  the  Persian 
fleets  loaded  with  Asiatic  pomp,  darkening  the  waters  like  a 
thunder-cloud — and  in  a  moment  all  changed!  The  millions 
of  Asia  scattered  like  dust  before  the  wind — Greece  lifted  to 
the  height  of  martial  glory,  and  commencing  a  career  of 
triumph  still  more  illustrious,  that  triumph  of  the  mind  in 
which,  through  the  remotest  vicissitudes  of  earth,  she  was  to 
have  no  conqueror. 

I  especially  and  passionately  pursued  the  campaigns  of  that 
extraordinary  man  Arriau,  whose  valor,  vanity,  and  fortune 
make  him  one  of  the  landmarks  of  human  nature.  In  Alex- 
ander I  delighted  in  tracing  the  native  form  of  the  Greek 
through  the  embroidered  robes  of  royalty  and  triumph.  In 
his  romantic  intrepidity  and  deliberate  science,  his  alternations 
of  profound  thought  and  fantastic  folly,  the  passion  for  praise 
and  the  contempt  for  its  offerers,  the  rash  temper  and  the 
noble  magnanimity,  the  love  for  the  arts  and  the  thirst  for 
that  perpetual  war  before  which  they  fly,  the  philosophic 
scorn  of  privation  and  the  feeble  lapses  into  self-indulgence ; 
the  generous  forecast,  which  peopled  deserts  and  founded 
cities,  and  the  giddy  and  fatal  neglect  which  left  his  diadem 
to  be  fought  for  and  his  family  to  be  the  prey  of  rival  rebel- 
lions,— I  saw  the  true  man  of  the  republic ;  not  the  lord  of  the 
rugged  hills  of  Macedon,  but  the  Athenian  of  the  day  of 
popular  splendor  and  folly,  with  only  the  difference  of  the 
scepter. 

To  me  those  studies  were  like  a  new  door  opened  into  the 
boundless  palace  of  human  nature.  I  felt  that  sense  of 
novelty,  vigor,  and  fresh  life  that  the  frame  feels  in  breathing 
the  morning  air  over  the  landscape  of  a  new  country.  It  was 

118 


Deart  of  Salome 


a  voyage  on  an  unknown  sea,  where  every  headland  admin-  Eleajar'a 
isters  to  the  delight  of  curiosity.  In  this  there  was  nothing 
of  the  common  pedantry  of  the  schools.  My  knowledge  of 
life  had  hitherto  been  limited  by  my  original  destination.  A 
Jew  and  a  priest,  there  was  but  one  solemn  avenue  through 
which  I  was  to  see  the  glimpses  of  the  external  world.  The 
vista  was  now  opened  beyond  all  limit ;  visions  of  conquest, 
of  honor  among  nations,  of  praise  to  the  last  posterity,  clus- 
tered round  my  head.  There  were  times  when  in  this  exulta- 
tion even  my  doom  was  forgotten.  The  momentary  oblivion 
may  have  been  permitted  merely  to  blunt  the  edge  of  incurable 
misfortune.  I  was  permitted  at  intervals  to  recruit  the 
strength  that  was  to  be  tried  till  the  end  of  time. 

I  was  one  day  immersed  in  Polybius,  with  my  master  in 
soldiership  at  my  side,  guiding  me  by  his  living  comment 
through  the  wonders  of  the  Punic  campaigns,  when  Eleazar 
entered,  with  a  look  that  implied  his  coming  on  a  matter  of 
importance.  Constantius  rose  to  withdraw. 

"No,"  said  my  brother,  "the  subject  of  my  mission  is  one 
that  should  not  be  concealed  from  the  preserver  of  our 
kindred.  It  may  be  one  of  happiness  to  us  all.  Salome  has 
arrived  at  the  age  when  the  daughters  of  Israel  marry.  She 
must  give  way  to  our  general  wish  and  play  the  matron  at 
last." 

He  turned  with  a  smile  to  Constantius,  and  asked  his  assent 
to  the  opinion;  he  received  no  answer.  The  young  Greek 
had  plunged  more  deeply  than  ever  into  the  passage  of  the 
Alps. 

"And  who  is  the  suitor?  "  I  inquired. 

"One  worthy  of  her  and  you.  A  generous,  bold,  warm- 
hearted kinsman,  in  the  spring  of  life,  sufficiently  opulent,  for 
he  will  probably  be  my  heir,  prepared  to  honor  you,  and,  I 
believe,  long  and  deeply  attached  to  her." 

"  Jubal !  There  is  not  a  man  in  our  tribe  to  whom  I  would 
more  gladly  give  her.  Let  my  friend  Jubal  come.  Congratu- 
late me,  Constantius ;  you  shall  now  at  last  see  festivity  in 
our  land  in  scorn  of  the  Roman.  You  have  seen  us  in  flight 
and  captivity ;  you  shall  now  witness  some  of  the  happiness 

119 


Cbou  GUI  fl  Come 


Subai'a  that  was  in  Judah  before  we  knew  the  flapping  of  an  Italian 
banner,  and  which  shall  be,  if  fortune  smile,  when  Rome  is 
like  Babylon." 

Constantius  suddenly  rose  from  his  volume,  and  thrusting 
it  within  the  folds  of  his  tunic,  was  leaving  the  apartment. 

"No,"  said  I,  "you  must  remain;  Miriam  and  Salome  shall 
be  sent  for,  and  in  your  presence  the  contract  signed." 

For  the  first  time  I  perceived  the  excessive  pallidness  of  his 
countenance,  and  asked  whether  I  had  not  trespassed  too  much 
on  his  patience  with  my  studies. 

His  only  reply  was :  "  Is  there  no  liberty  of  -choice  in  the 
marriages  of  Israel?  Will  you  decide  without  consulting  her, 
whom  this  contract  is  to  render  happy  or  miserable  while  she 
lives?  "  He  rushed  from  the  room. 

Miriam  came — but  alone.  Her  daughter  had  wandered  out 
into  one  of  our  many  gardens.  She  received  Eleazar  with 
sisterly  fondness,  but  her  features  wore  the  air  of  constraint. 
She  heard  the  mission,  but  "  she  had  no  opinion  to  give  in  the 
absence  of  Salome.  She  knew  too  well  the  happiness  of  hav- 
ing chosen  for  herself  to  wish  to  force  the  consent  of  her 
child.  Let  Salome  be  consulted." 

The  flourish  of  music  and  the  trampling  of  horses  broke 
up  our  reluctant  conference.  Jubal  had  already  come  with 
a  crowd  of  his  friends.  We  hastened  to  receive  him  at  the 
porch,  and  he  bounded  into  the  court  on  his  richly  caparisoned 
barb,  at  the  head  of  a  troop  in  festal  habiliments. 

The  men  of  Israel  loved  pomp  of  dress  and  handsome  steeds. 
The  group  before  me  might  have  made  a  body-guard  for  a 
Persian  king.  Jubal  had  long  looked  on  my  daughter  with 
the  admiration  due  to  her  singular  beauty ;  it  was  the  custom 
to  wed  within  our  tribe ;  he  was  the  favorite  and  the  heir  of 
her  uncle ;  she  had  never  absolutely  banished  him  from  her 
presence,  and  in  the  buoyancy  of  natural  spirits,  the  boldness 
of  a  temperament  born  for  a  soldier,  and  perhaps  in  the  al- 
lowable consciousness  of  a  showy  form,  he  had  admitted  none 
of  the  perplexities  of  a  trembling  lover.  Salome  was  at  length 
announced,  and  the  proposed  husband  was  left  to  plead  his 
own  cause. 

120 


CHAPTER  XVH 

<A  ^Declaration  of  Love 

WE  received  the  friends  of  our  intended  son  with  the  ac-  Saiatbtel  ©ver« 
custorned  hospitality,  but  to  me  the  tumult  of  many  voices, 
and  even  the  sight  of  a  crowd,  however  happy,  still  excited 
the  old  disturbances  of  a  shaken  mind. 

I  left  my  guests  to  the  care  of  Eleazar,  and  galloped  into 
the  fields  to  gather  composure  from  the  air  of  fruits  and 
flowers.  A  homeward  glance  showed  me,  to  my  surprise,  the 
whole  troop  mounted,  and  in  another  moment  at  speed  across 
the  hills.  I  hastened  back.  Miriam  met  me.  My  kinsman 
had  openly  disclaimed  my  alliance. 

Indignant  and  disappointed,  I  prepared  to  follow  him  and 
demand  the  cause  of  this  insult.  As  I  passed  one  of  the 
pavilions,  my  daughter's  voice  arrested  me.  She  was  talking 
to  Constantius.  Scorning  mere  curiosity,  I  yet  was  anxious 
for  sincere  explanation.  I  felt  that  if  Salome  had  a  wish 
which  she  feared  to  divulge  to  her  father,  this  was  my  only 
hope  of  obtaining  the  knowledge.  The  voices  were  low,  and 
I  could,  for  a  while,  catch  but  a  broken  sentence. 

"  I  owed  it  to  him,"  said  she,  "not  to  deceive  his  partiality. 
He  offered  all  that  it  could  have  done  a  Jewish  maiden  honor 
to  receive — his  heart,  hand,  and  fortune." 

"And  you  rejected  them  all?"  said  Constantius.  "Have 
you  no  regrets  for  the  lover — no  fears  of  the  father?  " 

"For  the  lover  I  had  too  high  an  esteem  to  give  him  a 
promise  which  I  could  not  keep.  I  knew  his  generous  nature. 
I  told  him  at  once  that  there  was  an  invincible  obstacle !  " 

"I  should  like  incomparably  to  know  what  that  obstacle 
could  be?  "  said  Constantius. 

Astonishment  fixed  me  to  the  spot.  I  was  unable  to  move 
a  step. 

121 


Cbou  GUI  f  Come 


ConatantiuflanD  The  natural  playfulness  of  the  sweet  aud  light-hearted  girl 
aome  became  manifest,  and  she  replied  "that  a  philosopher  ought 
to  know  all  things  without  questioning. " 

"But  there  is  much  in  the  world  that  defies  philosophy,  my 
fair  Salome;  and  of  all  its  problems,  the  most  perplexing  is 
the  mind  of  woman ! — of  young,  lovely,  dangerous  woman !  " 

"Now,  Constantius,  you  abandon  the  philosopher  and  play 
the  poet." 

"Yet  without  the  poet's  imagination.  No;  I  need  picture 
no  beauty  from  the  clouds — no  nymph  from  the  fountains — 
no  loveliness  that  haunts  the  trees,  and  breathes  more  than 
mortal  melody  on  the  ear.  Salome!  my  muse  is  before  me." 

"  You  are  a  Greek,"  said  she,  after  a  slight  interval,  "  and 
Greeks  are  privileged  to  talk — and  to  deceive." 

"  Salome !  I  am  a  Greek  no  longer.  What  I  shall  yet  be 
may  depend  upon  the  fairest  artist  that  ever  fashioned  the 
human  mind.  But  mine  are  not  the  words  of  inexperience. 
1  am  on  this  day  five-and-twenty  years  old.  My  life  has  led 
me  into  all  that  is  various  in  the  intercourse  of  earth.  I  have 
seen  woman  in  her  beauty,  in  her  talent,  in  her  art,  in  her 
accomplishment;  from  the  cottage  to  the  throne — but  I  never 
felt  her  real  power  before." 

"Which  am  I  to  believe — the  possible  or  the  impossible? 
A  soldier!  a  noble!  a  Greek!  and  of  all  Greeks,  one  of 
Cyprus !  the  offerer  of  your  eloquence  at  every  shrine  where 
your  own  lovely  countrywomen  stood  by  the  altar! — I  too 
have  seen  the  world." 

"  May  all  the  Graces  forbid  that  you  should  ever  see  it,  but 
what  it  would  be  made  by  such  as  you — a  place  of  gentleness 
and  harmony —a  place  of  fondness  and  innocence—  a  paradise !  " 

"  Now  you  are  further  from  the  philosopher  than  ever ;  but 
—I  must  listen  no  more ;  the  sun  is  taking  its  leave  of  us,  and 
blushing  its  last  through  the  vines  for  all  the  fine  romance 
that  it  has  heard  from  Constantius.  Farewell,  philosophy." 

"Then  farewell,  philosophy,"  said  Constantius,  and  caught 
her  hand  as  she  was  lightly  moving  from  the  pavilion.  He 
led  her  toward  the  casement.  "Then  farewell,  philosophy, 
my  sweet;  and  welcome  truth,  virtue,  and  nature.  I  loved 

122 


Declaration  of  Xove 


you  in  your  captivity ;  I  loved  you  in  your  freedom ;  on  the     Ube  love 

I«        •  ,  i       j  •  i  T  i        j  of  Conetantius 

sea,  on  the  shore,  m  the  desert,  in  your  home,  I  loved  you. 

In  life  I  will  love  you,  in  death  we  shall  not  be  divided. 
This  is  not  the  language  of  mere  admiration,  the  rapture  of  a 
fancy  dazzled  by  the  bright  eyes  of  my  Salome.  It  is  the 
language  of  reason,  of  sacred  truth,  of  honor  bound  by  higher 
than  human  bonds;  of  fondness  that  even  the  tomb  will 
render  only  more  ardent  and  sublime.  Here,  in  the  sight  of 
Heaven,  I  pledge  an  immortal  to  an  immortal." 

Astonishment  and  grief  alone  prevented  my  exclaiming 
aloud  against  this  bond  on  the  affections  of  my  child.  The 
marriage  of  the  Israelite  with  the  stranger  was  prohibited  by 
our  law,  and  still  more*  severely  prohibited  by  the  later  ordi- 
nances of  our  teachers.  But  marriage  with  a  fugitive,  an 
alien,  a  son  of  the  idolater,  whose  proselytism  had  never  been 
avowed,  and  whose  skill  in  the  ways  of  the  world  might  be  at 
this  hour  undermining  the  peace  or  the  faith  of  my  whole 
family — the  idea  was  tenfold  profanation !  I  checked  myself 
only  to  have  complete  evidence. 

"  But, "  said  my  daughter,  in  a  voice  mingled  with  many 
a  sigh,  "  if  this  should  become  known  to  my  father — and 
known  it  must  be — how  can  we  hope  for  his  consent?  Now, 
Constantius,  you  will  have  to  learn  what  it  is  to  deal  with 
our  nation.  We  have  prejudices,  lofty,  tho  blind  —  indis- 
soluble, tho  fantastic.  My  father's  consent  is  beyond  all 
hope." 

"He  is  honorable — he  has  human  feeling — he  loves  you." 

"  Fondly,  I  believe,  and  I  must  not  thus  return  his  love ; 
no,  tho  my  happiness  were  to  be  the  forfeit,  I  must  not  pain 
his  heart  by  the  disobedience  of  his  child." 

"  But  Salome,  my  sweet  Salome !  are  obstinacy  and  preju- 
dice to  be  obeyed  against  the  understanding  and  the  heart? 
Can  a  father  counsel  his  child  to  a  crime,  and  would  it  not  be 
one  to  give  your  faith  to  this  Jubal,  if  you  could  not  love 
him?  " 

"I  have  decided  that  already.     Never  will  I  wed  Jubal." 

"  Yet  what  is  it  that  you  would  disobey — a  cruel  and  fan- 
tastic scruple  of  your  teachers,  the  perverters  of  your  law? 

123 


Cbou  CHI  fl  Gome 


Saiatbici'a  He«  Must  we  sacrifice  reason  to  prejudice,  truth  to  caprice,  the 
law  of  nature  and  of  heaven  to  the  forgeries  and  follies  of  the 
Scribes?  Mine  you  are,  and  mine  you  shall  be,  my  wife  by  a 
law  more  sacred,  more  powerful,  and  move  pure.  The  time 
of  bondage  is  passed.  A  new  law,  a  new  hope,  have  come  to 
break  the  chains  of  the  Jew  and  enlighten  the  darkness  of 
the  Gentile.  You  have  heard  that  law ;  your  generous  heart 
and  unclouded  understanding  have  received  it,  and  now  by 
that  common  hope,  my  beloved,  we  are  one,  tho  seas  and 
mountains  should  separate  us  —  tho  the  malice  of  fortune 
and  the  tyranny  of  man  should  forbid  our  union ;  still,  in 
flight,  in  the  dungeon,  in  the  last  hour  of  a  troubled  existence, 
we  are  one.  Now,  Salome,  I  will  go>  but  go  to  seek  your 
father." 

My  indignation  rose  to  its  height.  I  had  heard  my  child 
taught  to  rebel.  I  had  heard  myself  pronounced  the  slave  of 
prejudice.  But  the  open  declaration  that  my  authority  was 
to  be  to  my  child  a  law  no  more  let  loose  the  whole  storm  of 
my  soul.  I  rushed  forward;  Salome  uttered  a  cry  and  sank 
senseless  upon  the  ground.  Constantius  raised  her  up  and 
bore  her  to  a  vase,  from  which  he  sprinkled  water  upon  her 
forehead. 

"  Leave  her !  "  I  exclaimed ;  "  better  for  her  to  remain  in 
that  insensibility,  better  to  be  dead  than  an  apostate.  Villain, 
begone!  it  is  only  in  scorn  that  a  father's  vengeance  suffers 
you  to  live.  Fly  from  this  house,  from  this  country.  .  Go, 
traitor,  and  let  me  never  see  you  more." 

I  tore  the  fainting  girl  from  his  arms.  He  made  no  resist- 
ance, no  reply.  Salome  recovered  with  a  gush  of  tears,  and 
feebly  pronounced  his  name. 

"I  am  with  you  still,  my  love,"  Constantius  assured 
her. 

She  looked  up  and,  as  if  she  had  then  first  seen  me,  sprang 
forward  with  a  look  of  terror. 

"Go,"  said  I,  "go  to  your  chamber,  weak  girl,  and  on 
your  knees,  atone  for  your  disobedience,  for  your  abandonment 
of  the  faith  of  your  fathers.  But  no,  it  is  impossible ;  you 
can  not  have  been  so  guilty ;  this  Greek — this  foreign  bringer- 

124 


H  Declaration  of  love 


in  of  fables — this  smooth  intruder  on  the  peace  of  families, 
can  not  have  so  triumphed  over  your  understanding." 

"I  have  been  rash,  sir,"  said  Constantius  loftily;  "I  may 
have  been  unwise,  too,  in  my  language ;  but  I  have  been  no 
deceiver.  Not  for  the  wealth  of  kings— not  even  for  the  more 
precious  treasure  of  the  heart  I  love — would  I  sully  my  lips 
with  a  falsehood." 

"  Begone !  "  cried  I ;  "I  am  insulted  by  your  presence.  Go 
and  pervert  others — hypocrite;  or  rather,  take  my  contemptu- 
ous forgiveness  and  repent,  in  sackcloth  and  ashes,  the  basest 
crime  of  the  basest  mind.  Come,  daughter,  and  leave  the 
baffled  idolater  to  think  of  his  crime." 

I  was  leading  her  away — she  hesitated,  and  I  cast  her  from 
me.  Constantius,  with  his  cheek  burning  and  his  eye  flash- 
ing, approached  her.  My  taunts  had  at  length  roused  him. 

"Now,  Salome,"  said  he,  haughtily  glancing  on  me,  "in- 
jured as  I  am,  I  disclaim  an  idle  deference  for  an  authority 
used  only  to  give  pain.  You  are  my  betrothed;  you  shall 
be  my  bride.  Let  us  go  forth  and  try  our  chance  together 
through  the  world." 

She  was  silent  and  wept  only  more  violently.  But  with 
one  hand  covering  her  face,  she  repelled  him  with  the  other. 

"  Then  you  will  be  the  wife  of  Jubal?  "  said  he. 

"  Never !  "  she  firmly  pronounced.  "  So  help  me  heaven, 
never ! " 

"Retire,  girl,"  I  exclaimed,  "and  weep  tears  of  blood  for 
your  rebellion  !  Go,  stranger — ingrate — deceiver — and  never 
darken  my  threshold  more.  Aye,  now  I  see  the  cause  of  my 
brave  kinsman's  departure.  He  was  circumvented.  A  wilier 
tongue  was  here  before  him.  He  •  disdained  to  reveal  the 
daughter's  folly  to  the  insulted  father.  But  this  shall  not 
avail  either  of  you.  He  shall  return." 

Salome  cast  an  imploring  glance  to  heaven  and  sank  upon 
her  knees  before  me.  Constantius  advanced  to  her;  but  I 
bounded  between  them — my  dagger  was  drawn. 

"  Touch  her,  and  you  die. " 

He  smiled  scornfully,  and  approached  to  raise  her  from 
the  ground. 

125 


ttbou  GUI  fl  Come 


Saiatbici Sceh»  "Give  that  wretched  child  up  to  me  this  moment,"  I  ex- 
claimed in  fury,  "or  may  the  bitterness  of  a  father's  curse  be 
on  her  head !  " 

He  staggered  back ;  then  pressing  his  lips  upon  her  fore- 
head, gave  her  to  me  and  strode  from  the  pavilion. 

I  flew  to  the  house  of  Eleazar.  I  found  him  anxious  and 
agitated.  Calm  as  his  usual  manner  was,  the  late  transaction 
had  left  its  traces  on  his  demeanor  and  countenance.  Jubal 
was  in  the  apartment,  which  he  traversed  backward  and  for- 
ward in  high  indignation.  He  made  no  return  to  my  salute 
but  by  stopping  short  and  gazing  full  on  me  with  a  look  of 
mingled  anger  and  surprise. 

"Jubal,"  said  I,  "kinsman,  we  must  be  friends."  I  held 
out  my  hand,  which  he  took  with  no  fervent  pressure.  "I 
am  here  only  to  explain  this  idle  offense." 

"It  requires  no  explanation,"  interrupted  Jubal  sternly; 
"  I,  and  I  alone,  am  to  blame — if  there  be  any  one  to  blame 
in  the  matter.  The  offer  may  have  been  hasty,  or  unwelcome, 
or  unpardonable,  from  one  like  me,  still  without  rank  in  the 
tribe ;  it  may  have  been  fit  that  I  should  be  haughtily  rejected 
by  the  family  of  the  descendant  of  Aaron;  but,"  said  he, 
pressing  his  strong  hand  upon  his  throat,  as  if  to  keep  down 
a  burst  of  passion,  "  the  subject  is  at  an  end — now  and  for- 
ever at  an  end." 

He  recommenced  his  striding  through  the  chamber. 

"Let  us  hear  all,  my  friend,"  said  I;  "I  know  that  Salome 
thinks  highly  of  your  spirit  and  of  your  heart.  Was  there  any 
palliation  offered?  Did  she  disclose  any  secret  reason  for  a 
conduct  which  is  so  opposite  to  her  natural  regard  for  you, 
and  which,  she  must  feel,  is  so  offensive  to  me?  But  insult 
from  my  family,  impossible !  " 

"Hear,  then.  I  had  not  alighted  from  my  horse  when  I 
saw  displeasure  written  in  the  face  of  every  female  in  your 
household.  From  the  very  handmaids  up  to  their  mistress, 
they  had,  with  the  instinct  of  woman,  discovered  my  object, 
and,  with  the  usual  deliberation  of  the  sex,  had  made  up  their 
minds  without  hearing  a  syllable.  Your  wife  received  me,  it 
is  true,  with  the  grace  that  belongs  to  her  above  women,  but 

136 


B  declaration  of  ULove 


she  was  visibly  cold.  My  kinswoman  Esther  absolutely  conatantfus 
shrank  from  me  and  scorned  to  return  a  word.  Salome  fled. 
As  for  the  attendants,  they  frowned  and  muttered  at  me  in  all 
directions,  with  the  most  candid  wrath  possible.  In  short,  I 
could  not  have  fared  worse  had  I  been  a  Roman  come  to  take 
possession,  or  an  Arab  riding  up  to  rifle  every  soul  in  the 
house." 

"Ominous  enough!"  said  Eleazar,  with  his  grave  smile. 
"The  opinions  of  the  sex  are  irresistible.  With  half  my 
knowledge  of  them,  Jubal,  you  would  have  turned  your  horse's 
head  homeward  at  once,  and  given  up  your  hopes  of  a  bride  at 
least  till  the  next  day,  or  the  next  hour,  or  whatever  may  be 
the  usual  time  for  the  sex's  change  of  mind.  Cheer  up,  kins- 
man ;  caparison  yourself  in  another  dress,  let  time  do  its  work 
— ride  over  to  Salathiel's  dwelling  to-morrow  and  find  a  smile 
for  every  frown  of  to-day." 

"  But  you  saw  Salome !  "  said  I.  "  I  am  impatient  to  hear 
how  she  could  have  ventured  to  offend.  Could  she  dare  to 
refuse  my  brother's  request  without  a  reason?  " 

"No;  her  conduct  was  altogether  without  disguise.  She 
first  tried  to  laugh  me  out  of  my  purpose,  then  argued,  then 
wept;  and  finally,  told  me  that  our  alliance  was  impossible." 

"  Rash  girl !  but  she  has  been  led  into  this  folly  by  others ; 
yet  the  chief  folly  was  my  own.  Aye,  my  eyes  were  dim, 
where  a  mole  would  have  seen.  I  suffered  a  showy,  plausible 
villain  to  remain  under  my  roof  till  he  has,  by  what  arts  I 
know  not,  wiled  away  the  duty  and  the  understanding — nay, 
I  fear,  the  religion  of  my  child."  I  smote  my  breast  in  sor- 
row and  humiliation. 

Jubal  burst  from  the  apartment  and  returned  with  his  lance 
in  his  hand,  quivering  with  wrath. 

"Now  all  is  cleared,"  cried  he;  "the  true  cause  was  the 
magic  of  that  idolater.  I  know  the  arts  of  paganism  to  be- 
witch the  senses  of  woman — the  incantations,  the  perfumes, 
the  midnight  fires,  and  images  and  songs.  But  let  him  come 
within  the  throw  of  this  javelin  and  then  try  whether  all  his 
magic  can  shield  him." 

Eleazar  grasped  his  robe  as  he  was  again  rushing  out 

127 


U.irn?  Cbou  Cill  f  Come 


ciea.jar'6  "  Stop,  madman!  Is  it  with  hands  dipped  in  blood  that  you 
Bvce  are  to  solicit  the  heart  of  Salome?  Give  me  that  horrid 
weapon ;  and  you,  Salathiel,  curb  your  wild  spirit  and  listen 
to  a  brother  who  can  have  no  interest  but  in  the  happiness  of 
both  and  all.  .  If  Salome,  whom  I  loved  an  infant  pn  the 
knee  and  love  to  this  moment,  the  most  ingenuous  and  happy- 
hearted  being  on  earth,  has  been  betrayed  into  a  fondness  for 
this  stranger,  have  we  the  right  to  force  her  inclinations?  I 
know  the  depth  of  understanding  that  lies  under  her  playful- 
ness ;  can  she  have  been  deceived,  and  least  of  all  by  those 
arts?  Impossible!  If  she  has  sacrificed  her  obedience  to  the 
noble  form  and  high  accomplishments  of  the  Greek,  we  can 
only  lament  her  exposure  to  a  captivation  made  to  subdue  the 
heart  of  woman  since  the  world  began." 

"  Jubal, "  interrupted  I,  "  give  me  that  manly  and  honest 
hand;  Eleazar's  wisdom  is  too  calm  to  understand  a  father  or 
a  lover.  You  shall  return  with  me,  you  shall  be  my  son ; 
Salathiel  has  no  other.  This  foolish  girl  will  be  sorry  for  her 
follies  and  rejoice  to  receive  you.  The  Greek  is  driven  from 
my  house.  And  let  me  see  who  there  will  henceforth  disobey. " 
The  lover's  face  brightened  with  joy. 

"Well,  make  your  experiment,"  said  Eleazar,  rising.  "So 
ends  all  councils  of  war  in  more  confusion  than  they  began. 
But  if  I  had  a  wife  and  daughters " 

"  Of  course  you  would  manage  them  to  perfection.  So  say 
all  who  have  never  had  either. " 

Eleazar's  cheek  colored  slightly;  but  with  his  recovering 
smile  of  benevolence  he  followed  us  to  the  porch,  and  wished 
us  success  in  our  expedition. 

We  found  the  household  tranquillized  again.  Miriam  re- 
ceived me  with  one  of  those  radiant  smiles  that  are  a  hus- 
band's best  welcome  home.  She  had  succeeded  in  calming 
the  minds  of  her  daughters,  and — a  much  more  difficult  task — 
in  suppressing  the  wrath  of  the  numerous  female  domestics 
who  had,  as  usual,  constructed  out  of  the  graces  of  the  Greek 
and  the  beauty  of  Salome  a  little  romance  of  their  own.  In 
the  whole  course  of  my  life  I  never  met  a  female,  from  the 
flat-nosed  and  ebony-colored  monster  of  the  tropics  to  the  snow- 

128 


Declaration  of 


white  and  sublime  divinity  of  a  Greek  isle,  without  a  touch  of  H  tforccb  3Bc= 
romance ;  repulsiveness  could  not  conceal  it,  age  could  not 
extinguish  it,  vicissitude  could  not  change  it.  I  have  found 
it  in  all  times  and  places,  like  a  spring  of  fresh  waters  start- 
ing up  even  from  the  flint,  cheering  the  cheerless,  softening 
the  insensible,  renovating  the  withered ;  a  secret  whisper  in 
the  ear  of  every  woman  alive,  that  to  the  last,  passion  might 
flutter  its  pinions  round  her  brow.  The  strong  prejudices  of 
our  nation  had  here  given  way,  rebellion  was-  but  hushed,  and 
I  was  warned  by  many  a  look  of  the  unwelcome  suitor  that 
I  brought  among  them. 

But  from  Salome  there  was  no  remonstrance.  I  should 
have  listened  to  none.  The  consciousness  of  my  own  want 
of  judgment  in  suffering  a  man  so  calculated  to  attract  the 
eye  of  innocent  youth  to  become  an  inmate  in  my  house ;  the 
vexation  which  I  felt  at  the  dismissal  of  my  brother's  heir; 
and  last  and  keenest  pang,  the  inroad  made  in  the  faith  of 
a  daughter  of  Israel,  combined  to  exasperate  me  beyond  the 
bounds  of  patience.  I  loved  my  child  with  the  strongest 
affection  of  a  heart  rocked  by  all  the  tides  of  passion ;  but  I 
could  bear  to  look  upon  the  pale  beauty  of  her  face — nay,  in 
the  wrath  of  the  hour,  could  have  seen  her  borne  to  the  grave 
— rather  than  permit  the  command  to  be  disputed  by  which 
she  was  to  wed  in  our  tribe. 

To  shorten  a  period  of  which  I  felt  the  full  bitterness,  the 
marriage  preparations  were  hurried  on.  Never  was  the  cere- 
mony anticipated  with  less  joy ;  we  were  all  unhappy.  Eleazar 
remonstrated,  but  in  vain.  Jubal  retracted,  but  I  compelled 
him  to  adhere  to  his  proposal.  Miriam  was  closeted  perpetu- 
ally with  the  betrothed,  and  of  the  whole  household  Esther 
alone  walked  or  talked  with  me,  and  it  was  then  only  to  give 
me  descriptions  of  her  sister's  misery  or  to  pursue  me  through 
the  endless  mazes  of  argument  on  the  hardship  of  being  forced 
to  be  happy.  The  preparations  proceeded.  The  piece  of 
silver  was  given,  the  contracts  were  signed,  the  presents  of 
both  families  were  made ;  the  portion  was  agreed  upon.  It 
was  not  customary  to  require  the  appearance  of  the  bride  until 
the  celebration  itself,  and  Salome  was  invisible  during  those 

9  129 


Gbou  Gill  1  Come 


cbc  flight  of  days  of  activity  in  which,  however,  I  took  the  chief  interest, 
for  nothing  could  be  further  from  zeal  than  the  conduct  of  the 
other  agents,  Jubal  alone  excepted.  He  had  regained  the 
easily  recovered  confidence  of  youth,  and  perhaps  prided  him- 
self on  the  triumph  over  a  rival  so  formidable.  Two  or  three 
petitions  for  an  interview  came  to  me  from  my  daughter.  But 
I  knew  their  purport,  and  steadily  determined  not  to  hazard 
the  temptation  of  her  tears. 

The  day  came,  and  with  it  the  guests ;  our  dwelling  was 
full  of  banqueting.  The  evening  arrived  when  the  ceremony 
was  to  be  performed  and  the  bride  led  home  to  her  husband's 
house  in  the  usual  triumph.  One  of  our  customs  was  that  a 
procession  of  the  bridegroom's  younger  friends,  male  and 
female,  should  be  formed  outside  the  house  to  wait  for  the 
coming  forth  of  the  married  pair.  The  ceremony  was  bor- 
rowed by  other  nations ;  but  in  our  bright  climate  and  cloud- 
less nights,  the  profusion  of  lamps  and  torches,  the  burning 
perfumes,  glittering  dresses,  and  fantastic  joy  of  the  dancing 
and  singing  crowd,  had  unequaled  liveliness  and  beauty.  I 
remained  at  my  casement,  gazing  on  the  brilliant  escort  that, 
as  it  gathered  and  arranged  itself  along  the  gardens,  looked 
like  a  flight  of  glow-worms.  But  no  marriage  summons  came. 
I  grew  impatient.  My  only  answer  was  the  sight  of  Jubal 
rushing  from  the  house  and  an  outcry  among  the  women. 
Salome  was  not  to  be  found !  She  had  been  left  by  herself 
for  a  few  hours,  as  was  the  custom,  to  arrange  her  thoughts 
for  a  ceremony  which  we  considered  religious  in  the  highest 
degree.  On  the  bridegroom's  arrival,  she  had  disappeared! 

The  blow  struck  me  deep.  Had  I  driven  her  into  the  arms 
of  the  Greek  by  my  severity?  Had  I  driven  her  out  of  her 
senses,  or  out  of  life?  Conjecture  on  conjecture  stung  me. 
T  reprobated  my  own  cruelty,  refused  consolation,  and  spent 
the  night  in  alternate  self-upbraidings  and  prayers  for  my  un- 
happy child. 

Search  was  indefatigably  made.  The  fiery  jealousy  of 
Jubal,  the  manly  anxiety  of  Eleazar,  the  hurt  feelings  of  our 
tribe,  insulted  by  the  possibility  that  their  chieftain's  heir 
should  have  been  scorned,  and  that  the  triumph  should  be  to 

130 


Declaration  of  Xove 


an  alien,  were  all  einbarked  in  the  pursuit.  But  search  was  Ube  Search  in 
in  vain ;  and  after  days  and  nights  of  weariness,  I  returned  to 
my  home,  there  to  be  met  by  sorrowing  faces,  and  to  feel  that 
every  tear  was  forced  by  my  own  obstinacy.  I  shrank  into 
solitude.  I  exclaimed  that  the  vengeance,  the  more  than 
vengeance  of  my  crime,  had  struck  its  heaviest  blow  on  me  in 
the  loss  of  my  child. 


CHAPTER  XVHI 
Salathiel  Faces  a 


imwit  ^  WAS  *n  one  °^  those  ft*18  °^  abstraction,  revolving  the 
misery  in  which  my  beloved  daughter  might  be,  if  indeed  she 
were  in  existence,  when  the  door  of  my  chamber  opened  softly 
and  one  of  my  domestics  appeared,  making  a  signal  of  silence. 
This  was  he  whom  I  had  detected  in  correspondence  with  the 
Roman  agent  and  forgiven  through  the  entreaties  of  Miriam. 
The  man  had  since  shown  remarkable  interest  in  the  recovery 
of  my  daughter,  and  thus  completely  reinstated  himself.  He 
knelt  before  me,  and  with  more  humility  than  I  desired,  im- 
plored my  pardon  for  having  again  held  intercourse  with  the 
Roman. 

"It  was  my  zeal,"  said  he,  "to  gain  intelligence,  for  I 
knew  that  nothing  passed  in  the  provinces  a  secret  from  him. 
This  letter  is  his  answer,  and  perhaps  I  shall  be  forgiven  for 
the  sake  of  what  it  contains." 

I  read  it  with  trembling  avidity.  It  was  mysterious  ;  de- 
scribed two  fugitives  who  had  made  their  escape  to  Caesarea,  and 
intimated  that  as  they  were  about  to  fly  into  Asia  Minor,  the 
pursuit  must  be  immediate  and  conducted  with  the  utmost 
secrecy. 

I  was  instantly  on  horseback.  Dreading  to  disturb  my 
family  by  false  hopes,  I  ordered  out  rny  hounds,  ranged  the 
hills  in  sight  of  my  dwelling  ;  and  then  turning  off,  struck  in 
the  spur,  and  attended  only  by  the  domestic,  went  full  speed 
to  Csesarea.  From  the  summit  of  Mount  Carmel  I  looked 
down  upon  the  city  and  the  broad  Mediterranean.  But  my 
eyes  then  felt  no  delight  in  the  grandeur  of  art  or  nature. 
The  pompous  structures  on  which  Herod  the  Great  had  ex- 
pended a  treasure  beyond  count,  and  which  the  residence  of 
the  governor  made  the  Roman  capital  of  Judea,  were  to  me 
but  so  many  dens  and  dungeons  in  which  my  child  might  be 

132 


Salatbiel  ffaces  a  TRoman 


hidden.     The  sea  showed  me  only  the  path  by  which  she  might       Before 
have  been  borne  away,  or  the  grave  in  which  her  wanderings 
were  to  close. 

By  extraordinary  speed  I  entered  the  gates  just  as  the 
trumpet  was  sounding  for  their  close.  My  attendant  went 
forth  to  obtain  information,  and  I  was  left  pacing  my  chamber, 
to  which  I  had  been  brought  in  feverish  suspense.  I  did  not 
suffer  it  long.  The  door  opened,  and  a  group  of  soldiers  or- 
dered me  to  follow  them.  Resistance  was  useless.  They  led 
me  to  the  palace.  There  I  was  delivered  from  guard  to  guard, 
through  a  long  succession  of  apartments,  until  we  reached  the 
door  of  a  banqueting-room.  The  festivity  within  was  high, 
and  if  I  could  have  then  sympathized  with  singing  and 
laughter,  I  might  have  had  full  indulgence  during  the  im- 
measurable hour  that  I  lingered  out,  a  broken  wretch,  ex- 
hausted by  desperate  effort,  sick  at  heart,  and  of  course  eager 
for  the  result  of  an  interview  with  the  Roman  procurator,  a 
man  whose  name  was  equivalent  to  vice,  extortion,  and  love 
of  blood  throughout  Judea. 

At  length  the  feast  was  at  an  end.  I  was  summoned,  and 
for  the  first  time  saw  Gessius  Floras,25  a  little  bloated  figure, 
with  a  countenance  that  to  the  casual  observer  was  the  model 
of  gross  good-nature,  a  twinkling  eye,  and  a  lip  on  the  per- 
petual laugh.  His  bald  forehead  wore  a  wreath  of  flowers, 
and  his  tunic  and  the  couch  on  which  he  lay  breathed  perfume. 
The  table  before  him  was  a  long  vista  of  sculptured  cups, 
and  golden  vases  and  candelabra. 

"I  am  sorry  to  have  detained  you  so  long,"  said  he,  "but 
this  was  the  Emperor's  birthday,  and  as  good  subjects  we 
have  kept  it  accordingly." 

During  this  speech  he  was  engaged  in  contemplating  the 
wine-bubbles  as  they  sparkled  above  the  brim  of  a  large 
amethystine  goblet.  A  pale  and  delicate  Italian  boy,  sumptu- 
ously dressed,  the  only  one  of  the  guests  who  remained,  per- 
ceiving that  I  was  fatigued,  filled  a  cup  and  presented  it. 

"Right,  Septimius,"  said  the  debauchee;  "make  the  Jew 
drink  the  Emperor's  health." 

The  youth  bowed  gracefully  before  me,  and  again  offered  the 

133 


Sbou  mil  H  Come 


Ulx         cup ;  but  the  time  was  not  for  indulgence,  and  I  laid  it  on  the 
Crocurator'a    ,   i  i 
store       table. 

"  Here's  long  life  and  glory  to  Nero  Claudius  Caesar,  our 
pious,  merciful,  and  invincible  Emperor !  "  cried  Floras,  and 
only  when  he  had  drunk  to  the  bottom  of  the  goblet,  found 
leisure  to  look  upon  his  prisoner. 

He  either  felt  or  affected  surprise,  and,  turning  to  his  young 
companion,  said :  "  By  Hercules,  boy,  what  grand  fellows 
those  Jews  make !  The  helmet  is  nothing  to  the  turban,  after 
all.  What  magnificence  of  beard!  No  Italian  chin  has  the 
vigor  to  grow  anything  so  superb;  then  the  neck,  like  the 
bull  of  Milo ;  and  those  blazing  eyes !  If  I  had  but  a  legion 
of  such  spearsm'en — 

I  grew  impatient  and  said :  "  I  stand  here,  procurator,  in 
your  bonds.  I  demand  why?  I  have  business  that  requires 
my  instant  attention  and  I  desire  to  be  gone." 

"Now  have  I  treated  you  so  inhospitably,"  said  he,  laugh- 
ing, "  that  you  expect  I  shall  finish  by  shutting  my  doors  upon 
you  at  this  time  of  night?  "  He  glanced  upon  his  tablets  and 
read  my  name.  "Aye,"  said  he,  "and  after  I  had  been  so 
long  wishing  for  the  honor  of  your  company.  Jew,  take  your 
wine  and  sit  down  upon  that  couch,  and  tell  me  what  brought 
you  to  Csesarea." 

I  told  him  briefly  the  circumstances.  He  roared  with 
laughter,  desired  me  to  repeat  them,  and  swore  that  "  By  all 
the  gods !  it  was  the  very  best  piece  of  pleasantry  he  had 
heard  since  he  set  foot  in  Judea. "  I  stood  up  in  irrepressible 
indignation. 

"  What !  "  said  he,  "  will  you  go  without  hearing  my  story  in 
return?  " 

He  filled  his  goblet  again  to  the  brim,  buried  his  purple 
visage  in  a  vase  of  roses,  and  having  inhaled  the  fragrance, 
and  chosen  an  easy  posture,  said  coldly:  "Jew,  you  have 
told  me  a  most  excellent  story,  and  it  is  only  fair  that  1 
should  tell  you  one  in  return ;  not  half  so  amusing,  I  admit, 
but  to  the  full  as  true.  Jew,  you  are  a  traitor!  "  I  started 
back.  "Jew,"  said  he,  "you  must  in  common  civility 
hear  me  out.  The  truth  is,  that  your  visit  has  been  so  often 

134 


Salatbiel  jfacea  a  TRoman 


anticipated  and  so  long  delayed  that  I  can  not  bear  to  part  Ubc  rase  of  tbe 
with  you  yet;  you  are  an  apostate;  you  encourage  those 
Christian  dogs.  Why  does  the  man  stare?  You  are  in  com- 
munication with  rebels,  and  I  might  have  had  the  honor  of 
meeting  you  in  the  field,  if  you  had  not  put  yourself  into  my 
hands  in  Caesarea." 

He  pronounced  those  words  of  death  in  the  most  tranquil 
tone ;  not  a  muscle  moved ;  the  cup  which  he  held  brimful  in 
his  hand  never  overflowed. 

"  Jew,"  said  he,  "  now  be  honest,  and  so  far  set  an  example 
to  your  nation.  Where  is  the  money  that  has  been  gathered 
for  this  rebellion?  You  are  too  sagacious  a  soldier  to  think 
of  going  to  war  without  the  mainspring  of  the  machine." 

I  scorned  to  deny  the  intended  insurrection,  but  "money 
I  had  collected  none. " 

"Then,"  said  he,  "you  are  now  compelling  me  to  a  meas- 
ure which  I  do  not  like.  Ho!  guard!  "  A  soldier  presented 
himself.  "Desire  that  the  rack  shall  be  got  ready."  The 
man  retired.  "  You  see,  Jew,  this  is  all  your  own  doing. 
Give  up  the  money,  and  I  give  up  the  rack.  And  the  sur- 
render of  the  coin  is  asked  merely  in  compassion  to  yourselves, 
for  without  it  you  can  not  rebel,  and  the  more  you  rebel  the 
more  you  will  be  beaten." 

"Beware,  Gessius  Florus,"  I  exclaimed;  "beware!  I  am 
your  prisoner,  entrapped,  as  I  now  see,  by  a  villain,  or  by  the 
greater  villain  who  corrupted  him.  You  may  rack  me  if  you 
will ;  you  may  insult  my  feelings,  tear  my  flesh,  take  my  life, 
but  for  this  there  shall  be  retribution.  Through  Upper  Gali- 
lee, from  Tiberias  to  the  top  of  Libanus,  this  act  of  blood  will 
ring,  and  be  answered  by  blood.  I  have  kinsmen  many, 
countrymen  myriads.  A  single  wrench  of  my  sinews  may 
lift  a  hundred  thousand  arms  against  your  city,  and  leave  of 
yourself  nothing  but  the  remembrance  of  your  crimes." 

He  bounded  from  his  couch ;  the  native  fiend  flashed  out  in 
his  countenance.  I  waited  his  attack,  with  my  hand  on  the 
poniard  within  my  sash.  My  look  probably  deterred  him,  for 
he  flung  himself  back  again,  and  bursting  into  a  loud  laugh, 
exclaimed : 

135 


abou  Gill  f  Come 


«»n  "Bravely  spoken.  Septimius,  we  must  send  the  Jew- 

to  Rome,  to  teach  our  orators.  Aye,  I  know  Upper  Gali- 
lee too  well  not  to  know  that  rebellion  is  more  easily  raised 
there  than  the  taxes.  And  it  was  for  that  reason  that  I  in- 
vited you  to  come  to  Csesarea.  In  the  midst  of  your  tribe, 
capture  would  have  cost  half  a  legion ;  here  a  single  jailer 
will  do  the  business.  Ho !  guard !  "  he  called  aloud. 

I  heard  the  screwing  of  the  rack  in  the  next  room  and 
unsheathed  the  poniard.  The  blade  glittered  in  his  eyes. 
Septimius  came  between  us,  and  tried  to  turn  the  procurator's 
purpose. 

"  Let  your  guard  come,"  cried  I,  "  and  by  the  sacredness  of 
the  Temple,  one  of  us  dies.  I  will  not  live  to  be  tortured,  or 
you  shall  not  live  to  see  it." 

If  the  door  had  opened,  I  was  prepared  to  dart  upon  him. 

"  Well,"  said  he,  after  a  whispered  expostulation  from 
Septimius,  "you  must  go  and  settle  the  matter  with  the  Em- 
peror. The  fact  is,  that  I  am  too  tender-hearted  to  govern 
such  a  nation  of  dagger-bearers.  So,  to  Nero!  If  we  can 
not  send  the  Emperor  money,  we  will  at  least  send  him.  men. " 

He  laughed  vehemently  at  the  conception ;  ordered  the  sing- 
ing and  dancing  slaves  to  return ;  called  for  wine,  and  plunged 
again  into  his  favorite  cup. 

Septimius  arose,  and  led  me  into  another  chamber.  I  re- 
monstrated against  the  injustice  of  my  seizure.  He  lamented 
it,  but  said  that  the  orders  from  Rome  were  strict,  and  that  I 
was  denounced  by  some  of  the  chiefs  in  Jerusalem  as  the 
head  of  the  late  insurrection  and  the  projector  of  a  new  one. 
The  procurator,  he  added,  had  been  for  some  time  anxious  to 
get  me  into  his  power  without  raising  a  disturbance  among 
my  tribe ;  the  treachery  of  my  domestic  had  been  employed  to 
effect  this,  and  "now,"  concluded  he,  "my  best  wish  for  you 
— a  wish  prompted  by  motives  of  which  you  can  form  no  con- 
jecture— is  that  you  may  be  sent  to  Rome.  Every  day  that 
sees  you  in  Caesarea  sees  you  in  the  utmost  peril.  At  the 
first  rumor  of  insurrection,  your  life  will  be  the  sacrifice. " 

"  But  my  family!  What  will  be  their  feelings?  Can  I  not 
at  least  acquaint  them  with  my  destination?  " 

136 


1  '  Let  your  guard  come,'  cried  I." 


Rome,  to  tea<  Aye,   I   » 

t.K)  Well    Hut 

en,-  than  the  ta>  \  id  it  was  for  that 

ted  you  to  area.     JF 

ptun-   would  h  ]ialf  a  ]. 

ill  d-.th-  busim  :  guard! 

I  heard  the  screwing  of  the  ra.  ,,,m  and 

sheathed   the  poniard.      The  blade  glitt- 
ptimius  came  bet  we-  turn  th< 

rose. 


l#t  your  ffuar 
' 
you  shall  not  li\< 

J  t  the  door  had  .  dart  up. 

"  Well,"    said  he,   after   a   whi 
Sept.iniius,  "you  must  go  and  settle  the  matter  with 
ppror.     The  fa<?t  is,  that  red  to  govern 

such  a  nation   of  dag  can 

not.  *,.n,l  the  Kmperor 

o*bllb»«oo  tnsvg  n 


JU--li    '      it.  -I    -::.    ,'      .' 

it,  but  said  tl; 

was  denounced  l>y  >uinn'  of  the  c,  i.salein  a^- 

hcad  of  th.    hi     ins.i 

The  pro-uirator,  In-  iuid«'d,  had  Uwn  ior  neat: 
g»Jt    nui   into  liis  jM-wt  : 
:''/  '  ;  -  ; 

t'ftVct  this,  and  "now,"  .--.• 
a  wish  prompted  by  ino< 
that  you  may  ; 
in  C'A'sarea  sees  \  the 

'      1P.MIJ  IV      •   • 

I  not 

i!   tin-in  \v.  tli  ii  " 

HI 


Copyright,  1901,  by  Funk  4  Wa^nalU  Company,  N.  Y.  and  London. 


Salatbicl  jfaces  a  IRoman 


"  It  is  impossible.  And  now,  to  let  you  into  a  state  secret,  Ube 
the  Emperor  has  ordered  that  you  should  be  sent  to  Rome. 
Florus  menaced  you  only  to  extort  money.  He  now  knows 
you  better,  and  would  gladly  enlist  you  in  the  Roman  cause. 
This  I  know  to  be  hopeless.  But  I  dread  his  caprice,  and 
shall  rejoice  to  see  the  sails  hoisted  that  are  to  carry  you  to 
Rome.  Farewell;  your  family  shall  have  due  intelligence." 

He  was  at  the  door  of  the  chamber,  but  suddenly  returned, 
and  pressing  my  hand,  said  again :  "  Farewell,  and  remember 
that  neither  all  Romans,  nor  even  all  Greeks,  may  be  alike !  " 
He  then  with  a  graceful  obeisance  left  the  room. 

Fatigue  hung  with  a  leaden  weight  upon  my  eyelids.  I 
tried  vain  experiments  to  keep  myself  from,  slumber  in  this 
perilous  vicinage.  The  huge  silver  chandelier,  that  threw  a 
blaze  over  the  fretted  roof,  began  to  twinkle  before  me ;  the 
busts  and  statues  gradually  mingled,  and  I  was  once  more  in 
the  land  of  visions.  Home  was  before  my  eyes.  I  was  sud- 
denly tossed  upon  the  ocean. 

I  stood  before  Nero  and  was  addressing  him  with  a  formal 
harangue,  when  the  whole  tissue  was  broken  up  by  a  sullen 
voice  commanding  me  to  rise.  A  soldier,  sword  in  hand, 
soon  entered;  he  pointed  to  the  door  where  an  armed  party 
were  seen,  and  informed  me  that  I  was  ordered  for  immediate 
embarkation. 

It  was  scarcely  past  midnight ;  the  stars  were  still  in  their 
splendor ;  the  pharos  threw  a  long  line  of  flame  on  the  waters ; 
the  city  sounds  were  hushed,  and  silent  as  a  procession  to  the 
grave,  we  moved  down  to  where  the  tall  vessel  lay  rocking 
with  the  breeze.  At  her  side,  a  Nubian  slave  put  a  note  into 
my  hand ;  it  was  from,  the  young  Roman,  requesting  my  ac- 
ceptance of  wine  and  fruits  from  the  palace,  and  wishing  me 
a  prosperous  result  to  my  voyage.  The  sails  were  hoisted ; 
the  stately  mole,  that  even  in  the  night  looked  a  mount  of 
marble,  was  cleared ;  the  libation  was  poured  to  the  Tritons 
for  our  speedy  passage,  and  the  blazing  pharos  was  rapidly 
seen  but  as  a  twinkling  star. 


187 


CHAPTER  XIX 
On   cBoard  a    Trireme 

•Cbe  Captain  of  ^UK  trireme  flew  before  the  wind.  By  daybreak  the  coast 
tbc  ttrireme  was  Oll\y  a  pa]e  \(ne  along  the  waters ;  but  Carmel  still  towered 
proudly  eminent,  and  with  its  top  alternately  clouded  and 
glittering  in  the  sun  might  have  been  taken  for  a  gigantic 
beacon  throwing  up  alternate  smoke  and  flame.  With  what 
eyes  did  I  continue  to  look,  until  the  mighty  hill,  too,  sank  in 
the  waters !  But  thought  still  lingered  on  the  shore.  I  saw, 
with  a  keenness  more  than  of  the  eye,  the  family  circle ; 
through  many  an  hour  of  gazing  on  the  waters,  I  was  all  but 
standing  in  the  midst  of  those  walls  which  I  might  never  more 
see;  listening  to  the  uncomplaining  sighs  of  Miriam,  the 
impassioned  remonstrances  of  my  sole  remaining  child,  and 
busied  in  the  still  harder  task  of  finding  out  some  defense 
against  the  self -accusation  that  laid  the  charge  of  rashness  and 
cruelty  heavy  upon  my  soul. 

But  the  scene  round  me  was  the  very  reverse  of  moody 
meditation.  The  captain  was  a  thorough  Italian  trierarch, 
ostentatious,  gay,  given  to  superstition,  and  occasionally  a 
little  of  a  free  thinker.  His  ship  was  to  him  child,  wife, 
and  world ;  and  at  every  maneuver  he  claimed  from  us  such 
tribute  as  a  father  might  for  the  virtues  of  his  favorite  off- 
spring; perpetual  luck  was  in  everything  that  she  did;  she 
knew  every  headland  from  Cyprus  to  Ostia;  a  pilot  was  a 
mere  supernumerary ;  she  could  run  the  whole  course  without 
the  helm,  if  she  pleased.  She  beat  the  LUmmian  for  speed ; 
the  Cypriot  for  comfort;  the  Sicilian  for  safety;  and  every 
other  vessel  on  the  seas  for  every  other  quality.  All  he 
asked  was  to  live  in  her,  while  he  lived  at  all,  and  to  go  down 
in  her  when  the  Fates  were  at  last  to  cut  his  thread,  as  they 
did  those  of  all  captains,  whether  on  sea  or  land. 

138 


©n  JBoarD  a  trireme 


The  panegyric  of  the  good  ship  Ganymede  was  in  some  de- 
gree  merited ;  she  carried  us  on  boldly.  For  a  sea  in  which 
the  winds  are  constant  when  they  come,  but  in  which  the  calms 
are  as  constant  as  the  winds,  nothing  could  have  been  more 
perfectly  adapted  than  the  ancient  galley.  If  the  gale  arose, 
the  ship  shot  along  like  the  eagle  that  bore  her  Trojan  name- 
sake— light,  strong,  with  her  white  sails  full  of  the  breeze, 
and  cleaving  the  surge  with  the  rapidity  of  an  arrow.  If  the 
wind  fell  we  floated  in  a  pavilion,  screened  from  the  sun,  re- 
freshed with  perfumes  burning  on  poop,  brow,  and  masts, 
surrounded  with  gilding  and  the  carvings  and  paintings  of  the 
Greek  artists,  drinking  delicious  wines,  listening  to  song  and 
story,  and  in  all  this  enjoyment  gliding  insensibly  along  on  a 
lake  of  absolute  sapphire  encircled  and  varied  by  the  most 
picturesque  and  lovely  islands  in  the  world. 

The  Ganymede  had  been  under  especial  orders  from  Rome  for 
my  transmission ;  but  the  captain  felt  too  much  respect  for  the 
procurator  not  to  trespass  on  the  letter  of  the  law  so  far  as  to 
fill  up  the  vacancies  of  his  hold  with  merchandise,  in  which 
Floras  drove  a  steady  contraband  trade.  Having  done  so  much 
to  gratify  the  governor's  distinguishing  propensity,  he  next  pro- 
vided for  his  own ;  and  loaded  his  gallant  vessel  mercilessly 
with  passengers,  as  much  prohibited  as  his  merchandise. 
While  we  were  yet  in  sight  of  land,  I  walked  a  lonely  deck ; 
but  when  the  salutary  fear  of  the  galleys  on  the  station  was 
passed,  every  corner  of  the  Ganymede  let  loose  a  living  cargo. 

For  the  Jewish  chieftain  going  from  Florus  on  a  mission  to 
the  Emperor,  as  the  captain  conceived  me  and  my  purpose  to 
be,  a  separate  portion  of  the  deck  was  kept  sacred.  But  I 
mingled  from  time  to  time  with  the  crowd,  and  thus  contrived 
to  preserve  at  once  my  respect  and  my  popularity.  Never 
was  there  a  more  miscellaneous  collection.  We  transported 
into  Europe  a  Chaldee  sorcerer,  an  Indian  gymnosophist,  an 
Arab  teacher  of  astrology,  a  Magian  from  Persepolis,  and  a 
Platonist  from  Alexandria.  Such  were  our  contributions  to 
Oriental  science. 

We  had,  besides,  a  dealer  in  sleight-of-hand  from  Damascus ; 
an  Egyptian  with  tame  monkeys  and  a  model  of  a  pyramid;  a 

139 


Cbou  GUI  f  Come 


EHftcrcncca  of  Syrian  serpent-teacher;  an  Idumean  maker  of  amulets  against 
storm  and  calm,  thirst  and  hunger,  and  every  other  disturbance 
and  distress  of  life ;  an  Armenian  discoverer  of  the  stone  by 
which  gold-mines  were  to  be  found ;  a  Byzantine  inventor  of 
the  true  Oriental  pearls;  a  dealer  from  the  Caspian  in  gums 
superseding  all  that  Arabia  ever  wept ;  an  Epicurean  philoso- 
pher who  professed  indolence,  and  who,  to  do  him  justice,  was 
a  striking  example  of  his  doctrine ;  and  a  Stoic  who,  having 
gone  his  rounds  of  the  Roman  garrisons  as  a  teacher  of  danc- 
ing, a  curer  of  wines,  and  a  flute-player,  had  now  risen  into 
the  easier  vocation  of  a  philosopher. 

Of  course,  among  these  professors,  the  discoverer  of  gold  was 
the  most  moneyless ;  the  maker  of  amulets  against  misfortune 
the  most  miserable ;  and  the  Stoic  the  most  impatient.  The 
Epicurean  alone  adhered  to  the  spirit  of  his  profession. 

But  the  unstable  elements  round  us  were  a  severe  trial  for 
any  human  philosophy  but  that  of  a  thorough  optimist.  Wind 
and  water,  the  two  most  imperious  of  all  things,  were  our 
masters ;  and  a  calm,  a  breeze,  or  even  a  billow,  often  tried 
our  reasoners  too  roughly  for  the  honor  of  tempers  so  saturated 
with  wisdom.  On  those  occasions  the  Platonist  defended  the 
antiquity  of  Egypt  with  double  pertinacity ;  the  Chaldee  de- 
rided its  novelty  by  the  addition  of  a  hundred  thousand  years 
to  his  chronology  of  Babylon ;  the  Indian  with  increased  scorn, 
wrinkling  his  brown  visage,  told  them  that  both  Babylon  and 
Egypt  were  baubles  of  yesterday  compared  with  the  million 
years  of  India. 

The  dagger  would  have  silenced  many  a  discussion  on 
the  chief  good,  the  origin  of  benevolence,  and  the  beauty 
of  virtue,  but  for  the  voice  of  the  captain^  which  like  thunder 
cleared  the  air.  He,  I  will  allow,  was  the  truest  philoso- 
pher of  us  all.  The  trierarch  was  an  unconscious  optimist ; 
nothing  could  touch  him  in  the  shape  of  misfortune,  for  to 
him  it  had  no  existence.  If  the  storm  rose,  "we  should 
get  the  more  rapidly  into  port " ;  if  the  calm  came  to  fix  us 
scorching  on  the  face  of  the  waters,  "nothing  could  be  safer." 
If  our  provisions  fell  short,  "  abstemiousness  now  and  then 
was  worth  a  generation  of  doctors. "  If  the  sun  burned  above 

140 


©n  JBoarD  a  trireme 


us  with  the  fire  of  a  ball  of  red-hot  iron,  "it  was  the  test  of  Ube philosophy 
fair  weather  " ;  if  the  sky  was  a  mass  of  vapor,  "  we  escaped  °  a  aptam 
being  roasted  alive." 

His  maxims  on  higher  subjects  were  equally  consoling. 
"  If  man  had  to  struggle  through  life,  struggle  was  the  nurs- 
ing-mother of  greatness ;  if  he  were  opulent,  he  had  gained 
the  end  without  the  trouble.  If  he  had  disease,  he  learned 
patience,  essential  for  sailor,  soldier,  and  philosopher  alike; 
if  he  enjoyed  health,  who  could  doubt  the  blessing?  If  he 
lived  long,  he  had  time  for  pleasure;  if  he  died  -early,  he 
escaped  the  chances  of  the  tables'  turning."  The  optimist 
applied  his  principle  to  me,  by  gravely  informing  me  that 
"though  it  depended  on  the  Emperor's  state  of  digestion 
whether  I  should  or  should  not  carry  back  my  head  from  his 
presence,  yet  if  I  lived,  I  should  see  the  games  of  the  Circus, 
and  if  I  did  not,  I  should  in  all  probability  care  but  little 
about  the  matter." 

Nothing  in  the  variety  of  later  Europe  gives  me  a  parallel 
to  the  distinctions  of  rank  and  profession,  style  of  subsistence, 
and  physiognomy  of  society  in  the  ancient  world.  Human 
nature  was  classed  in  every  kingdom,  province,  and  city  al- 
most as  rigidly  as  the  different  races  of  mankind.  The  divi- 
sions of  the  slave,  the  freedman,  the  citizen,  the  artist,  the 
priest,  the  man  of  literature,  and  the  man  of  public  life  were 
cut  with  a  plowshare  whose  furrows  were  never  filled  up. 
Life  had  the  curious  mixture  of  costume,  the  palpable  diver- 
sity of  purpose,  and  the  studied  intricacy  of  a  drama. 

Our  voyage  was  rapid,  but  even  a  lingering  transit  would 
have  been  cheered  by  the  innumerable  objects  of  beauty  and 
memory  which  rise  on  every  side  in  the  passage  through  a 
Grecian  sea.  The  islands  were  then  untouched  by  the  spoiler ; 
the  opulence  of  Rome  had  been  added  to  Attic  taste;  and 
temples,  theaters,  and  palaces,  starting  from  groves,  or  stud- 
ding the  sides  of  the  stately  hills,  and  reflected  in  the  mirror 
of  bays,  smooth  and  bright  as  polished  steel,  held  the  eye  a 
continual  captive.  On  the  sea,  flights  of  vessels,  steering  in 
all  directions,  glittering  with  the  emblems  of  their  nations, 
the  colored  pennants,  the  painted  prows,  and  gilded  images  of 

141 


Gbou  CHI  f  Come 


Ubctmpcriai  their  protecting  deities,  covered  the  horizon  with  life.  We 
had  reached  the  southern  cape  of  Greece,  and  were,  with  a 
boldness  unusual  to  ancient  navigation,  stretching  across  in  a 
starless  night  for  the  coast  of  Italy,  when  we  caught  a  sound 
of  distant  music  that  recalled  the  poetic  dreams  of  nymphs  and 
tritons.  The  sound  swelled  and  sank  on  the  wind,  as  if  it 
came  from  the  depths  of  the  sea  or  the  bosom  of  the  clouds. 
As  we  parted  from  the  land,  it  swelled  higher  until  it  filled 
the  midnight  with  pompous  harmony.  To  sleep  was  profana- 
tion, and  we  all  gathered  on  the  deck,  exhausting  nature  and 
art  in  conjectures  of  the  cause. 

The  harmony  approached  and  receded  at  intervals,  grew 
in  volume  and  richness,  then  stole  away  in  wild  murmurs,  to 
revive  with  still  more  luxuriant  sweetness.  Night  passed  in 
delight  and  conjecture.  Morning  alone  brought  the  solution. 

Full  in  the  blaze  of  sunrise  steered  the  imperial  fleet,  re- 
turning in  triumph  from  the  Olympic  games,  with  the  Emperor 
on  board.  We  had  unconsciously  approached  it  during  the 
darkness. 

The  whole  scene  wore  the  aspect  of  a  vision  summoned  by 
the  hand  of  an  enchanter.  The  sea  was  covered  with  the  fleet 
in  order  of  battle.  Some  of  the  galleys  were  of  vast  size,  and 
all  were  gleaming  with  gold  and  decorations;  silken  sails, 
garlands  on  the  masts,  trophies  hung  over  the  sides,  and  em- 
broidered streamers  of  every  shape  and  hue,  met  the  morning 
light.  We  passed  the  wing  of  the  fleet,  close  enough  to  see 
the  .sacrificial  fires  on  the  poop  of  the  imperial  quinquereme. 
A  crowd  in  purple  and  military  habits  was  standing  round  a 
throne,  above  which  proudly  waved  the  scarlet  flag  of 
command.  A  figure  advanced;  all  foreheads  were  bowed, 
acclamations  rent  the  air,  the  trumpets  of  the  fleet  flourished, 
and  the  lofty  harmonies  that  had  charmed  us  in  the  night 
again  swelled  upon  the  wind  and  followed  us,  long  after  the 
whole  floating  splendor  had  dissolved  into  the  distant  blue. 

At  length  the  headlands  of  the  noble  bay  of  Tarentum  rose 
above  the  horizon.  While  we  were  running  with  the  speed 
of  a  lapwing,  the  captain,  to  our  surprise,  shortened  sail.  I 
soon  discovered  that  no  philosophy  was  perfect ;  that  even  the 

143 


©n  JSoacD  a  Grticme 


optimist  thought  that  daylight  might  be  worse  than  useless,      saiatbid 
and  that  a  blot  had  been  left  on  creation  in  the  shape  of  a 
custom-house  officer. 

Night  fell  at  last ;  the  moon,  to  which  our  captain  had  taken 
a  sudden  aversion,  was  as  cloudy  as  he  could  desire,  and  we 
rushed  in  between  the  glimmering  watch-towers  on  the  lapy- 
gian  and  Lacinian  promontories.  The  glow  of  light  along  the 
Avaters  soon  pointed  out  where  the  luxurious  citizens  of  Taren- 
tum  were  enjoying  the  banquet  in  their  barges  and  villas. 
Next  came  the  hum.  of  the  great  city,  whose  popular  boast 
was,  like  that  of  later  times,  that  it  had  more  festivals  than 
days  in  the  year. 

But  the  trierarch's  often-told  delight  at  finding  himself  free 
to  rove  among  the  indulgences  of  his  favorite  shore  had -lost 
its  poignancy ;  and  with  a  firmness  which  set  the  Stoic  in  a 
rage,  the  Epicurean  in  a  state  of  rebellion,  and  the  whole  tribe 
of  our  sages  in  a  temper  of  mere  mortal  remonstrance,  he  re- 
sisted alike  the  remonstrance  and  the  allurement,  and  sullenly 
cast  anchor  in  the  center  of  the  bay. 

It  was  not  until  song  and  feast  had  died,  and  all  was  hushed, 
that  he  stole  with  the  slightest  possible  noise  to  the  back  of 
the  mole,  and  sending  us  below,  disburdened  his  conscience 
and  the  hold  of  the  good  ship  Ganymede.  I  had  no  time  to 
give  to  the  glories  of  Tarentum.  Nero's  approach  hurried  my 
departure.  The  centurion  who  had  me  in  charge  trembled  at 
the  idea  of  delay,  and  we  rode  through  the  midst  of  three 
hundred  thousand  sleepers  in  streets  of  marble  and  ranks  of 
statues,  as  silently  and  swiftly  as  if  we  had  been  the  ghosts 
of  their  ancestors. 

When  the  day  broke  we  found  ourselves  among  the  Lucanian 
hills,  then  no  desert,  but  crowded  with  population  and  bright 
with  the  memorials  of  Italian  opulence  and  taste.  From  the 
inn  where  we  halted  to  change  horses,  the  Tarentine  gulf 
spread  broad  and  bold  before  the  eye. 

The  city  of  luxury  and  of  power,  once  the  ruler  of  Southern 
Italy,  and  mistress  of  the  seas  that  sent  out  armies  and  fleets, 
worthy  to  contest  the  supremacy  with  Pyrrhus  and  the  Car- 
thaginian, was;  from  this  spot,  sunk  like  all  the  works  of  man, 

143 


tTbou  GUI  f  Come 


in  into  littleness.  But  the  gulf,  like  all  the  works  of  nature, 
grew  in  grandeur.  Its  circular  shore  edged  with  thirteen 
cities,  the  deep  azure  of  its  smooth  waters  inlaid  with  the 
flashes  of  sunrise,  and  traversed  by  fleets,  diminished  to  toys, 
reminded  me  of  one  of  the  magnificent  Roman  shields,  with 
its  center  of  sanguine  steel,  the  silver  incrustation  of  the  rim, 
and  the  storied  sculpture.  We  passed  at  full  speed  through 
the  Lucaniaii  and  Samnian  provinces,  fine  sweeps  of  cultivated 
country,  interspersed  with  the  hunting-grounds  of  the  great 
patricians ;  forests  that  had  not  felt  the  ax  for  centuries,  and 
hills  and  valleys  sheeted  with  the  vine  and  rose. 

But  on  reaching  the  border  of  Latium,  I  was  already  in 
Home;  I  traveled  a  day's  journey  among  streets  and  hi  the 
midst  of  a  crowded  and  hurrying  population.  The  whole  was 
one  huge  suburb  with  occasional  glimpses  of  a  central  mount, 
crowned  with  glittering  and  gilded  structures. 

"  There ! "  said  the  centurion,  with  somewhat  of  religious 
reverence,  "behold  the  eternal  Capitol!  " 

I  entered  Rome  at  night,  passing  through  an  endless  number 
of  narrow  and  intricate  streets  where  hovels,  the  very  abode 
of  want,  were  mingled  with  palaces  blazing  with  lights  and 
echoing  with  festivity.  The  centurion's  house  was  at  length 
reached.  He  showed  me-  to  an  apartment,  and  left  me, 
saying,  "that  I  must  prepare  to  be  brought  before  the 
Emperor  immediately  on  his  arrival." 

I  am  now,  thought  I,  in  the  heart  of  the  heart  of  the  world ; 
in  the  midst  of  that  place  of  power  from  which  the  destiny 
of  nations  issues ;  in  the  great  treasure-house  to  which  men 
come  from  the  ends  of  the  earth  for  knowledge,  for  justice, 
for  wealth,  honor,  thrones !  And  what  am  I? — a  solitary  slave ! 


144 


CHAPTER  XX 

Burning  of 


WITH  the  original  mixture  of  Ionian  and  northern  blood  in  "Roman 
his  veins,  the  character  of  the  Roman  was  at  once  tasteful 
and  barbarian.  Like  the  Asiatic,  delighting  in  luxury,  like 
the  Tatar,  delighting  in  gore,  he  turned  the  elegance  of  the 
Greek  games  into  the  combat  of  gladiators.  He  was  a  vol- 
uptuary, but  the  gravest  of  all  voluptuaries.  Of  all  nations 
the  Roman  bore  the  strongest  resemblance  to  that  people  of 
conquerors  who  at  length  swept  its  name  from  Byzantium; 
superb,  but  slavish;  fierce,  but  sensual;  brave  as  the  lion, 
but  base  in  its  appetites  as  the  jackal;  a  people  made  for  the 
possession  of  empire  and  for  its  corruption.2' 

Of  all  men  he  had  the  least  resemblance  to  his  successor. 
Haughty,  sagacious,  and  solemn,  tho  ravening  for  rapine, 
and  merciless  in  his  revenge,  he  bequeathed  nothing  to  that 
miscellany  of  mankind  which  has  followed  him,  but  his  pas- 
sion for  shows. 

Rome  was  all  shows.  Its  innumerable  public  events  were 
all  thrown  into  the  shape  of  pageantry.  Its  worship,  elections, 
the  departure  and  return  of  governors  and  consuls,  every 
operation  of  public  life,  was  modeled  into  a  pomp,  and  in  the 
boundless  extent  of  the  empire  those  operations  were  crowd- 
ing on  one  another  every  day.  The  multitude  that  can  still  be 
set  in  motion  by  a  wooden  saint  was  then  summoned  by  the 
stirring  ceremonial  of  empire,  the  actual  sovereignty  of  the 
globe.  What  must  have  been  the  strong  excitement,  the  per- 
petual concourse,  the  living  and  various  activity  of  a  city  from 
which  flowed  the  stream  of  power  through  fche  world,  to  re- 
turn to  it  loaded  with  all  that  the  opulence,  skill,  and  splen- 
dor of  the  world  could  give. 

Triumphs  to  whose  grandeur  and  singularity  the  pomps  of 

10  145 


Gbou  Gill  I  Come 


Summon^  later  days  are  but  as  the  attempts  of  paupers  and  children ; 
Emperor6  rites  on  which  the  very  existence  of  the  state  was  to  depend ; 
the  levy  and  march  of  armies  Avhich  were  to  carry  fate  to  the 
remotest  corners  of  the  earth ;  the  kings  of  the  East  and  West 
coming  to  solicit  diadems  or  to  deprecate  the  irresistible  wrath 
of  Rome;  vast  theaters;  public  games  that  tasked  the  whole 
fertility  of  Roman  talent,  and  the  most  prodigal  lavishness  of 
imperial  luxury,  were  the  movers  that  among  the  four  millions 
of  Rome  made  life  a  hurricane. 

I  saw  it  in  its  full  and  grand  commotion ;  I  saw  it  in  its 
desperate  agony ;  I  saw  it  in  its  frivolous  revival,  and  I  shall 
see  it  in  an  hour,  wilder,  weaker,  and  more  terrible  than  all. 
I  remained  under  the  charge  of  the  centurion.  No  man  could 
be  better  fitted  for  a  state  jailer.  Civility  sat  on  his  lips,  but 
caution  the  most  profound  sat  beside  her.  He  professed  to 
have  the  deepest  dependence  on  my  honor,  yet  he  never  let 
me  move  beyond  his  eye.  But  I  had  no  desire  to  escape. 
The  crisis  must  come,  and  I  was  as  well  inclined  to  meet  it 
then  as  to  have  it  lingering  over  me. 

Intelligence  in  a  few  days  arrived  from  Brundusiurn  of  the 
Emperor's  landing,  and  of  his  intention  to  remain  at  Antium 
until  his  triumphal  entry  should  be  prepared.  My  fate  now 
hung  in  the  balance.  I  was  ordered  to  attend  the  imperial 
presence.  At  the  vestibule  of  the  Antian  palace  my  careful 
centurion  deposited  me  in  the  hands  of  a  senator. 

As  I  followed  him  through  the  halls,  a  young  female  richly 
attired,  and  of  the  most  beautiful  face  and  form,  crossed  us, 
light  and  graceful  as  a  dancing  nymph.  The  senator  bowed 
profoundly.  She  beckoned  to  him  and  they  exchanged  a  few 
words.  I  was  probably  the  subject,  for  her  countenance, 
sparkling  with  the  animation  of  youth  and  loveliness,  grew 
pale  at  once ;  she  clasped  both  her  hands  upon  her  eyes  and 
rushed  into  an  inner  chamber.  She  knew  Nero  well;  and 
dearly  she  was  yet  to  pay  for  her  knowledge. 

The  senator,  to  my  inquiring  glance,  answered  in  a  whisper, 
"  The  Empress  Poppaea. " 

A  few  steps  onward  and  I  stood  in  the  presence  of  the  most 
formidable  being  on  earth.  Yet  whatever  might  have  been 

146 


JBurntng  of  "Kerne 


my  natural  agitation  at  the  time,  I  could  scarcely  restrain  a 
smile  at  the  first  sight  of  Nero.27 

I  saw  a  pale,  undersized,  light-haired  young  man,  sitting  be- 
fore a  table  with  a  lyre  on  it,  and  a  parrot's  cage,  to  whose 
inmate  he  was  teaching  Greek  with  great  assiduity.  But  for 
the  regal  furniture  of  the  cabinet  I  should  have  supposed  my- 
self led  by  mistake  into  an  interview  with  some  struggling 
poet.  He  shot  round  one  quick  glance  on  the  opening  of  the 
door,  and  then  proceeded  to  give  lessons  to  his  bird.  I  had 
leisure  to  gaze  on  the  tyrant  and  parricide. 

Physiognomy  is  a  true  science.  The  man  of  profound 
thought,  the  man  of  active  ability,  and,  above  all,  the  man  of 
genius  has  his  character  stamped  on  his  countenance  by  nature ; 
the  man  of  violent  passions  and  the  voluptuary  have  it  stamped 
by  habit.  But  the  science  has  its  limits :  it  has  no  stamp  for 
mere  cruelty.  The  features  of  the  human  monster  before  me 
were  mild  and  almost  handsome ;  a  heavy  eye  and  a  figure 
tending  to  fulness  gave  the  impression  of  a  quiet  mind,  and 
but  for  an  occasional  restlessness  of  brow  and  a  brief  glance 
from  under  it,  in  which  the  leaden  eye  darted  suspicion,  I 
should  have  pronounced  Nero  one  of  the  most  indolently 
harmless  of  mankind. 

He  now  remanded  his  pupil  to  its  perch,  took  up  the  lyre, 
and  throwing  a  not  unskilful  hand  over  the  strings  in  the 
intervals  of  his  performance,  languidly  addressed  a  broken 
sentence  to  me. 

"  You  have  come,  I  understand,  from  Judea ;  they  tell  me 
that  you  have  been,  or  are  to  be,  a  general  of  the  insurrec- 
tion. You  must  be  put  to  death ;  your  countrymen  give  me 
a  great  deal  of  trouble,  and  I  always  regret  to  be  troubled 
with  them.  But  to  send  you  back  would  be  only  an  encour- 
agement to  them,  and  to  keep  you  here  among  strangers  would 
be  only  a  cruelty  to  you.  I  am  charged  with  cruelty ;  you 
see  the  charge  is  not  true.  I  am  lampooned  every  day; 
I  know  the  scribblers,  but  they  must  lampoon  or  starve  and  I 
leave  them  to  do  both.  Have  you  brought  any  news  from 
Judea?  They  have  not  had  a  true  prince  there  since  the  first 
Herod  and  he  was  quite  a  Greek,  a  cut-throat  and  a  man  of 

147 


Carrg  Sbou  GUI  fl  Gome 


Ube  taste.  He  understood  the  arts.  I  sent  for  you  to  see  what 
sort  of  animal  a  Jewish  rebel  was.  Your  dress  is  handsome, 
but  too  light  for  our  winters.  You  can  not  die  before  sunset, 
as  until  then  I  am  engaged  with  my  music-master.  We  all 
must  die  when  our  time  comes.  Farewell — till  sunset  may 
Jupiter  protect  you !  " 

I  retired  to  execution,  and  before  the  door  closed  heard 
this  accomplished  disposer  of  life  and  death  preluding  upon 
his  lyre  with  increased  energy.  I  was  conducted  to  a  turret 
until  the  period  in  which  the  Emperor's  engagement  with  his 
music-master  should  leave  him  at  leisure  to  see  me  die ! 

Yet  there  was  kindness  even  under  the  roof  of  Nero,  and  a 
liberal  hand  had  covered  the  table  in  my  cell.  The  hours 
passed  heavily  along,  but  they  passed ;  and  I  was  watching 
the  last  rays  of  my  last  sun  when  I  suddenly  perceived  a  cloud 
rise  in  the  direction  of  Rome.  It  grew  broader,  deeper,  darker 
as  I  gazed ;  its  center  was  suddenly  tinged  with  red ;  the  tinge 
spread;  the  whole  mass  of  cloud  became  crimson;  the  sun 
went  down,  and  another  sun  seemed  to  have  risen  in  its  stead. 
I  heard  the  clattering  of  horses'  feet  in  the  courtyards  below ; 
trumpets  sounded ;  there  was  evident  confusion  in  the  palace ; 
the  troops  hurried  under  arms,  and  I  saw  a  squadron  of  cav- 
alry set  off  at  full  speed. 

As  I  was  gazing  on  the  spectacle  before  me,  which  perpetu- 
ally became  more  menacing,  the  door  of  my  cell  slowly  opened, 
and  a  masked  figure  stood  upon  the  threshold.  I  had  made 
up  my  mind,  and  demanding  if  he  were  the  executioner,  told 
him  "  I  was  ready. "  The  figure  paused,  listened  to  the  sounds 
below,  and  after  looking  for  a  while  on  the  troops  in  the 
courtyard,  signified  by  signs  that  I  had  a  chance  of  saving 
my  life. 

The  love  of  existence  rushed  back  upon  me ;  I  eagerly  in- 
quired what  was  to  be  done.  He  drew  from  under  his  cloak 
the  dress  of  a  Roman  slave,  which  I  put  on,  and  noiselessly 
folloAved  his  steps  through  a  long  succession  of  small  and 
strangely  intricate  passages.  We  found  no  difficulty  from 
guards  or  domestics.  The  whole  palace  was  in  a  state  of  ex- 
traordinary alarm.  Every  human  being  was  packing  up 

148 


^Burning  of  IRome 


something  or  other;  lich  vases,  myrrhine  cups,  gold  services,  IRome 
were  lying  in  heaps  on  the  floors ;  books,  costly  dresses,  in- 
struments of  music,  all  the  appendages  of  luxury,  were  flung 
loose  in  every  direction — signs  of  the  sudden  breaking  up  of 
the  court.  I  might  have  plundered  the  value  of  a  province 
with  impunity.  Still  we  wound  our  hurried  way.  In  pass- 
ing along  one  of  the  corridors,  the  voice  of  sorrow  struck  the 
ear;  my  mysterious  guide  hesitated;  I  glanced  through  the 
slab  of  crystal  that  shoAved  the  chamber  within. 

It  was  the  one  in  which  I  had  seen  the  Emperor,  but  his 
place  was  now  filled  by  the  form  of  youth  and  beauty  which 
had  crossed  me  on  my  arrival.  She  was  weeping  bitterly,28 
and  reading  with  passionate  indignation  a  long  list  of  names, 
probabty  one  of  those  rolls  in  which  Nero  registered  his  in- 
tended victims,  and  which  in  the  haste  of  departure  he  had 
left  open.  A  second  glance  saw  her  tear  the  paper  into  a 
thousand  fragments  and  scatter  them  in  the  fountain  that 
gushed  upon  the  floor.  I  left  this  lovely  and  unhappy  crea- 
ture, this  dove  in  the  vulture's  talons,  with  almost  a  pang. 
A  few  steps  more  brought  us  into  the  open  air,  but  among 
bowers  that  covered  our  path  with  darkness.  At  the  extrem- 
ity of  the  gardens  my  guide  struck  with  his  dagger  upon  a 
door;  it  was  opened;  we  found  horses  outside;  he  sprang  on 
one;  I  sprang  on  its  fellow,  and  palace,  guards,  and  death 
were  left  far  behind. 

He  galloped  so  furiously  that  I  found  it  impossible  to 
speak,  and  it  was  not  till  we  had  reached  an  eminence  a  few 
miles  from  Rome,  where  we  breathed  our  horses,  that  I  could 
ask  to  whom  I  had  been  indebted  for  my  escape.  But  I  could 
not  extract  a  word  from  him.  He  made  signs  of  silence  and 
pointed  with  wild  anxiety  to  the  scene  that  spread  below  It 
was  of  a  grandeur  and  terror  indescribable.  Rome  was  an 
ocean  of  flame!  Height  and  depth  were  covered  with  red 
surges  that  rolled  before  the  blast  like  an  endless  tide.  The 
flames  burst  up  the  sides  of  the  hills,  which  they  turned  into 
instant  volcanoes,  exploding  volumes  of  smoke  and  fire ;  then 
plunged  into  the  depths  in  a  hundred  glowing  cataracts ;  then 
•climbed  and  consumed  again.  The  distant  sound  of  the  great 

149 


abou  CHI  1  Come 


trbc  progress  city  in  her  convulsion  went  to  the  soul.  The  air  was  filled 
of  s>c8truction  w^n  ^e  steady  roar  of  the  advancing  blaze,  the  crash  of  fall- 
ing houses,  and  the  hideous  outcry  of  the  myriads  flying 
through  the  streets,  or  surrounded  and  perishing  in  the  con- 
flagration. 

Hostile  to  Rome  as  I  was,  I  could  not  restrain  the 
exclamation :  "  There  goes  the  fruit  of  conquest,  the  glory 
of  ages,  the  purchase  of  the  blood  of  millions !  Was  vanity 
made  for  man?  "  My  guide  continued  looking  forward  with 
intense  earnestness,  as  if  he  were  perplexed  by  what  avenue 
to  enter  the  burning  city.  I  demanded  who  he  was,  and 
whither  he  would  lead  me.  He  returned  no  answer.  A  long 
spire  of  flame  that  shot  up  from  a  hitherto-untouched  quarter 
engrossed  all  his  senses.  He  struck  in  the  spur,  and  making 
a  wild  gesture  to  me  to  follow,  darted  down  the  hill. 

I  pursued ;  we  found  the  Appian  choked  with  wagons,  bag- 
gage of  every  kind,  and  terrified  crowds  hurrying  into  the 
open  country.  To  force  a  way  through  them  was  impossible. 
All  was  clamor,  violent  struggle,  and  helpless  death.  Men 
and  women  of  the  highest  rank  were  hurrying  on  foot,  or 
trampled  by  the  rabble  that  had  then  lost  all  respect  of  condi- 
tion. One  dense  mass  of  miserable  life,  irresistible  from  its 
weight,  crushed  by  the  narrow  streets  and  scorched  by  the 
flames  over  their  heads,  continued  to  roll  through  the  gates 
like  an  endless  stream  of  black  lava. 

We  now  turned  back  and  attempted  an  entrance  through 
the  gardens  of  some  of  the  villas  that  skirted  the  city  wall 
near  the  Palatine.  All  were  deserted,  and  after  some  danger- 
ous bounds  over  the  burning  ruins  we  found  ourselves  in  the 
streets.  The  fire  had  originally  broken  out  on  the  Palatine, 
and  hot  smoke  that  wrapped  and  half -blinded  us  hung  thick 
as  night  upon  the  wrecks  of  pavilions  and  palaces ;  but  the 
dexterity  and  knowledge  of  my  inexplicable  guide  carried  us 
on.  It  was  in  vain  that  I  insisted  upon  knowing  the  purpose 
of  this  terrible  traverse.  He  pressed  his  hand  on  his  heart  in 
reassurance  of  his  fidelity,  and  still  spurred  on. 

We  now  passed  under  the  shade  of  an  immense  range  of 
lofty  buildings,  whose  gloomy  and  solid  strength  seemed  to 

150 


Cbe  Burning  of  "Rome 


bid  defiance  to  chance  and  time.  A  sudden  scream  appalled 
me. 

A  ring  of  fire  swept  round  its  summit ;  burning  cordage, 
sheets  of  canvas,  and  a  shower  of  all  things  combustible  flew 
into  the  air  above  our  heads.  An  uproar  followed,  unlike  all 
that  I  had  ever  heard,  a  hideous  mixture  of  howls,  shrieks, 
and  groans.  The  flames  rolled  down  the  narrow  street  before 
us  and  made  the  passage  next  to  impossible.  While  we  hesi- 
tated, a  huge  fragment  of  the  building  heaved,  as  if  in  an 
earthquake,  and  fortunately  for  us  fell  inward.  The  whole 
scene  of  terror  was  then  open. 

The  great  amphitheater  of  Statilius  Taurus  had  caught  fire ; 
the  stage  with  its  inflammable  furniture  was  blazing  below. 
The  flames  were  wheeling  up,  circle  above  circle,  through  the 
seventy  thousand  seats  that  rose  from  the  ground  to  the  roof. 
I  stood  in  unspeakable  awe  and  wonder  on  the  side  of  this 
colossal  cavern,  this  mighty  temple  of  the  city  of  fire.  At 
length  a  descending  blast  cleared  away  the  smoke  that  covered 
the  arena.  The  cause  of  those  horrid  cries  was  now  visible. 
The  wild  beasts  kept  for  the  games  had  broken  from  their  dens. 
Maddened  by  affright  and  pain,  lions,  tigers,  panthers,  wolves, 
whole  herds  of  the  monsters  of  India  and  Africa,  were  enclosed 
in  an  impassable  barrier  of  fire.  They  bounded,  they  fought, 
they  screamed,  they  tore ;  they  ran  howling  round  and  round 
the  circle;  they  made  desperate  leaps  upward  through  the 
blaze ;  when  flung  back,  they  fell,  only  to  fasten  their  fangs 
in  each  other,  and  with  their  parching  jaws  bathed  in  blood, 
die  raging. 

I  looked  anxiously  to  see  whether  any  human  being  was 
involved  in  thi.  fearful  catastrophe;  but  to  my  relief,  I 
could  see  none  The  keepers  and  attendants  had  obviously 
escaped.  As  1  expressed  my  gladness  •  I  was  startled  by 
a  loud  cry  from  my  guide,  the  first  sound  that  I  had  heard 
him  utter.  He  pointed  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  amphi- 
theater. There  indeed  sat  an  object  of  melancholy  interest — 
a  man  who  had  either  been  unable  to  escape  or  had  determined 
to  die.  Escape  was  now  impossible.  He  sat  in  desperate 
calmness  on  his  funeral  pile.  He  was  a  gigantic  Ethiopian 

151 


Gbou  trill  f  Come 


flDamartfne,  slave,  entirely  naked.  He  had  chosen  his  place,  as  if  in 
tbcpri8onan  mockery,  on  the  imperial  throne ;  the  fire  was  above  him  and 
around  him,  and  under  this  tremendous  canopy  he  gazed  with- 
out the  movement  of  a  muscle  on  the  combat  of  the  wild 
beasts  below,  a  solitary  sovereign,  with  the  whole  tremendous 
game  played  for  himself,  and  inaccessible  to  the  power  of  man. 
I  was  forced  away  from  this  absorbing  spectacle,  and  we 
once  more  threaded  the  long  and  intricate  streets  of  Rome. 
As  we  approached  the  end  of  one  of  those  bewildering  pas- 
sages, scarcely  wide  enough  for  us  to  ride  abreast,  I  was  startled 
by  the  sudden  illumination  of  the  sky  immediately  above,  and, 
rendered  cautious  by  the  experience  of  our  hazards,  called  to 
my  companion  to  return.  He  pointed  behind  me  and  showed 
the  fire  breaking  out  in  the  houses  by  which  we  had  just 
galloped.  I  followed  on.  A  crowd  that  poured  from  the  ad- 
joining streets  cut  off  our  retreat.  Hundreds  rapidly  mounted 
on  the  houses  in  front,  in  the  hope  by  throwing  them  down 
to  check  the  conflagration.  The  obstacle  once  removed,  we 
saw  the  source  of  the  light  —spectacle  of  horror !  The  great 
prison  of  Rome,  the  Mamartine,  was  on  fire. 

Never  can  I  forget  the  sights  and  sounds — the  dismay — the 
hopeless  agony — the  fury  and  frenzy  that  then  overwhelmed 
all  hearts.  The  jailers  had  been  forced  to  fly  before  they 
could  loose  the  fetters  or  open  the  cells  of  the  prisoners.  We 
saw  those  gaunt  and  wo-begone  wretches  crowding  to  their 
casements,  and  imploring  impossible  help;  clinging  to  the 
heated  bars ;  toiling  with  their  impotent  grasp  to  tear  out  the 
massive  stones ;  some  hopelessly  wringing  their  hands ;  some 
calling  on  the  terrified  spectators,  by  every  name  of  humanity, 
to  save  them ;  some  venting  their  despair  in  execrations  and 
blasphemies  that  made  the  blood  run  cold ;  others,  after  many 
a  wild  effort  to  break  loose,  dashing  their  heads  against  the 
walls  or  stabbing  themselves.  The  people  gave  them  outcry 
for  outcry,  but  the  flame  forbade  approach.  Before  I  could 
extricate  myself  from  the  multitude,  a  whirl  of  fiery  ashes 
shot  upward  from  the  falling  roof;  the  walls  burst  into  a 
thousand  fragments,  and  the  huge  prison,  with  all  its  miserable 
inmates,  was  a  heap  of  embers ! 

153 


JSurning  of  "Rome 


Exhausted  as  I  was  by  this  endless  fatigue  and  yet  more  by 
the  melancholy  sights  that  surrounded  every  step,  no  fatigue 
seemed  to  be  felt  by  the  singular  being  who  governed  my 
movements.  He  sprang  through  the  burning  ruins;  he 
plunged  into  the  sulf urous  smoke ;  he  never  lost  the  direction 
that  he  had  first  taken ;  and  tho  baffled  and  forced  to  turn 
back  a  hundred  times,  he  again  rushed  on  his  track  with  the 
directness  of  an  arrow.  For  me  to  make  my  way  back  to  the 
gates  would  be  even  more  difficult  than  to  push  forward. 
My  ultimate  safety  might  be  in  following,  and  I  followed. 
To  stand  still  and  to  move  seemed  equally  perilous. 

The  streets,  even  with  the  improvements  of  Augustus,  were 
still  scarcely  wider  than  the  breadth  of  the  little  Volscian  carts 
that  crowded  them.  They  were  crooked,  long,  and  obstructed 
by  every  impediment  of  a  city  built  in  haste  after  the  burn- 
ing by  the  Gauls,  and  with  no  other  plan  than  the  caprice  of 
its  hurried  tenantry.  The  houses  were  of  immense  height, 
chiefly  wood,  many  roofed  with  thatch,  and  all  covered  or 
cemented  with  pitch.  The  true  surprise  is  that  it  had  not 
been  burned  once  a  year  from,  the  time  of  its  building.  Nero, 
that  hereditary  concentration  of  vice,  of  whose  ancestor's  yel- 
low beard  the  Roman  orator  said,  "  No  wonder  that  his  beard 
was  brass,  when  his  mouth  was  iron  and  his  heart  lead,"  the 
parricide  and  the  poisoner,  might  plausibly  exonerate  him- 
self of  an  act  which  might  have  been  the  deed  of  a  drunken 
mendicant  in  any  of  the  fifty  thousand  hovels  of  this  gigantic 
aggregate  of  everything  that  could  turn  to  flame. 

We  passed  along  through  all  the  horrid  varieties  of  misery, 
guilt,  and  riot  that  could  find  their  place  in  a  great  public 
calamity ;  groups  gazing  in  wo  on  the  wreck  of  their  fortunes 
in  vapor  and  fire ;  groups  plundering  in  the  midst  of  the  flame ; 
crowds  of  rioters,  escaped  felons,  and  murderers,  exulting  in 
the  public  ruin,  and  dancing  and  drinking  with.  Bacchanalian 
uproar ;  gangs  of  robbers  stabbing  the  fugitives,  to  strip  them ; 
revenge,  avarice,  despair,  profligacy,  let  loose  naked;  undis- 
guised demons,  to  swell  the  wretchedness  of  this  tremendous 
infliction  upon  a  blood-covered  empire. 

Still  we  spurred  on,  but  our  jaded  horses  at  length  sank 

153 


Cbou  GUI  f  Come 


be  palace  under  us;  and  leaving  them  to  find  their  way  into  the  fields, 
Bflamc  we  struggieci  forward  on  foot.  The  air  had  hitherto  been 
calm,  but  now  gusts  began  to  rise,  thunder  growled,  and  the 
signs  of  tempest  increased.  We  had  gained  an  untouched 
quarter  of  the  city,  and  had  pushed  our  weary  passage  up  to 
the  gates  of  a  large  patrician  palace,  when  we  were  startled  by 
a  broad  sheet  of  fiame  rushing  through  the  sky.  The  storm 
had  come  in  its  rage. 

The  range  of  public  magazines  of  wood,  cordage,  tar,  and 
oil,  in  the  valley  between  the  Coelian  and  Palatine  hills,  had 
at  length  been  involved  in  the  conflagration.  All  that  we  had 
seen  before  was  darkness  to  the  fierce  splendor  of  this  burn- 
ing. The  tempest  tore  off  the  roofs  and  swept  them  like 
floating  islands  of  fire  through  the  sky.  The  most  distant 
quarters  on  which  they  fell  were  instantly  wrapped  in  flame. 
One  broad  mass,  whirling  from  an  immense  height,  broke 
upon  the  palace  before  us.  A  cry  of  terror  was  heard  within. 
The  gates  were  flung  open,  and  a  crowd  of  domestics  and  per- 
sons of  both  sexes,  attired  for  a  banquet,  poured  into  the 
streets.  The  palace  was  wrapped  in  flame. 

My  guide  then  for  the  first  time  lost  his  self-possession.  He 
staggered  toward  me  with  the  appearance  of  a  man  who  had  re- 
ceived a  spear-head  in  his  bosom.  I  caught  him  before  he  fell, 
but  his  head  sank,  his  knees  bent  under  him,  and  his  white 
lips  quivered  with  unintelligible  sounds.  I  could  distinguish 
only  the  words — "  Gone,  gone  forever!  " 

The  flames  had  already  seized  upon  the  principal  floors  of 
the  palace,  and  the  volumes  of  smoke  that  poured  through 
every  window  and  entrance  rendered  the  attempt  to  save  those 
still  within  a  work  of  extreme  hazard.  But  ladders  were 
rapidly  placed,  ropes  were  flung,  and  the  activity  of  the  at- 
tendants and  retainers  was  boldly  exerted,  until  all  were  pre- 
sumed to  have  been  saved  and  the  building  was  left  to  burn. 
My  overwhelmed  guide  was  lying  on  the  ground  when  a  sud- 
den scream  was  heard,  and  a  figure  in  the  robes  and  with  the 
rosy  crown  of  a  banquet — strange  contrast  to  her  fearful 
situation — was  seen  flying  from  window  to  window  in  the  up- 
per part  of  the  mansion.  It  was  supposed  that  she  had  fainted 

154 


turning  of  TRome 


in  the  first  terror  and  been  forgotten.     The  height,  the  fierce-      saiatbiei 
ness  of  the  flame,  which  now  completely  mastered  resistance,  fm*3  Salome 
the  volumes  of  smoke  that  suffocated  every-  man  who  ap- 
proached, made  the  chance  of  saving  this  unfortunate  being 
utterly  desperate  in  the  opinion  of  the  multitude. 

I  shuddered  at  the  horrors  of  this  desertion.  I  looked 
round  at  my  companion ;  he  was  kneeling  in  helpless  agony, 
with  his  hands  lifted  up  to  heaven.  Another  scream,  wilder 
than  ever,  pierced  my  senses.  I  seized  an  ax  from  one  of 
the  domestics,  caught  a  ladder  from  another,  and  in  a  paroxysm 
of  hope,  fear,  and  pity  scaled  the  burning  wall.  A  shout 
from  below  followed  me. 

I  entered  at  the  first  window  that  I  could  reach.  All  be- 
fore me  was  cloud.  I  rushed  on,  struggled,  stumbled  over 
furniture  and  fragments  of  all  kinds ;  fell,  rose  again,  found 
myself  trampling  upon  precious  things,  plate  and  crystal; 
and  still,  ax  in  hand,  forced  my  way.  I  at  length  reached 
the  apartment  where  I  had  seen  the  figure.  It  had  vanished ! 

A  strange  superstition  of  childhood,  a  thought  that  I  might 
have  been  lured  by  some  spirit  of  evil  into  this  place  of  ruin, 
suddenly  came  over  me.  I  stopped  to  gather  my  faculties. 
I  leaned  against  one  of  the  pillars — it  was  hot ;  the  floor  shook 
and  cracked  under  my  tread;  the  walls  heaved,  the  flame 
hissed  below,  while  overhead  roared  the  whirlwind  and  burst 
the  thunder-peal. 

My  brain  was  fevered  by  agitation  and  fatigue.  The  golden 
lamps  still  burning ;  the  long  tables  disordered,  yet  glittering 
with  the  ornaments  of  patrician  luxury ;  the  Tyrian  couches ; 
the  scarlet  canopy  that  covered  the  whole  range  of  the  tables, 
and  gave  the  hall  the  aspect  of  an  imperial  pavilion,  partially 
torn  down  in  the  confusion  of  the  flight,  all  assumed  to  me  a 
horrid  and  bewildering  splendor.  The  smoke  was  already 
rising  through  the  crevices  of  the  floor ;  a  huge  volume  of  yellow 
vapor  slowly  wreathed  and  arched  round  the  chair  at  the  head 
of  the  banquet-table.  I  could  have  imaged  a  fearful  lord  of 
the  feast  under  that  cloudy  veil.  Everything  round  me  was 
marked  with  preternatural  fear,  magnificence,  and  ruin. 

A  low  groan  broke  my  reverie.     I  heard  the  broken  words : 

155 


Cbou  ZTHl  H  Gome 


rsue  bs  "Oh,  bitter  fruit  of  disobedience!  Oh,  my  father!  oh, 
my  mother !  shall  I  never  see  you  again?  For  one  crime  I  am 
doomed.  Eternal  mercy,  let  my  crime  be  washed  away !  Let 
my  spirit  ascend  pure !  Farewell,  mother,  sister,  father,  hus- 
band!" 

With  the  last  word  I  heard  a  fall,  as  if  the  spirit  had  left 
the  body. 

I   sprang  toward   the  sound — I   met   but   the  solid   wall. 

"  Horrible  illusion !  "  I  cried.  "  Am  I  mad,  or  the  victim  of 
the  powers  of  darkness?  " 

I  tore  away  the  hangings — a  door  was  before  me.  I  burst 
it  through  with  a  blow  of  the  ax,  and  saw  stretched  on  the 
floor,  and  insensible — Salome! 

I  caught  my  child  in  my  arms ;  I  bathed  her  forehead  with 
iny  tears ;  I  besought  her  to  look  up,  to  give  some  sign  of  life, 
to  hear  the  full  forgiveness  of  my  breaking  heart.  She  looked 
not,  answered  not,  breathed  not.  To  make  a  last  effort  for 
her  life,  I  carried  her  into  the  banquet-room.  But  the  fire 
had  forced  its  way  there ;  the  storm  had  carried  the  flame 
through  the  long  galleries,  and  spires  of  lurid  light  already 
darting  through  the  doors,  gave  fearful  evidence  that  the  last 
stone  of  the  palace  must  soon  go  down. 

I  bore  my  unhappy  daughter  toward  the  window,  but  the 
height  was  deadly ;  no  gesture  could  be  seen  through  the  piles 
of  smoke ;  the  help  of  man  was  in  vain.  To  my  increased 
misery,  the  current  of  air  revived  Salome  at  the  instant  when 
I  hoped  that  by  insensibility  she  would  escape  the  final  pang. 
She  breathed,  stood  and  opening  her  eyes,  fixed  on  me  the 
vacant  stare  of  one  scarcely  roused  from  sleep.  Still  clasped 
in  my  arms  she  gazed  again,  but  my  wild  face,  covered  with 
dust,  my  half -burned  hair,  the  ax  gleaming  in  my  hand,  ter- 
rified her;  she  uttered  a  scream  and  darted  away  from  me, 
headlong  into  the  center  of  the  burning.  I  rushed  after  her, 
calling  on  her  name.  A  column  of  fire  shot  up  between  us; 
I  felt  the  floor  sink ;  all  was  then  suffocation — I  struggled  and 
fell 


156 


CHAPTER  XXI 
Death  of  a  Martyr 

I  AWOKE  with  a  sensation  of  pain  in  every  limb.     A  female  Ube  -Return  to 
,.  •    ,  T)    ,    ,,  Consciousnesa 

voice  was  singing  a  faint  song  near  me.     But  the  past  was 

like  a  dream.  I  involuntarily  looked  down  for  the  gulf  on 
which  I  had  trod ;  I  looked  upward  for  the  burning  rafters. 
I  saw  nothing  but  an  earthen  floor  and  a  low  roof  hung  with 
dried  grapes  and  herbs.  I  uttered  a  cry.  The  singer  ap- 
proached me.  There  was  nothing  in  her  aspect  to  nurture  a 
diseased  imagination ;  she  was  an  old  and  emaciated  creature 
who  yet  rejoiced  in  my  restoration.  She  in  turn  called  her 
husband,  a  venerable  Jew,  whose  first  act  was  to  offer  thanks- 
giving to  the  God  of  Israel  for  the  safety  of  a  chief  of  His 
nation.  But  to  my  inquiries  for  the  fate  of  my  child,  he 
could  give  no  answer ;  he  had  discovered  me  among  the  ruins 
of  the  palace  of  the  ^Emilii,  to  which  he,  with  many  of  his 
countrymen,  had  been  attracted,  with  the  object  of  collecting 
whatever  remnants  of  furniture  might  be  left  by  the  flames. 
I  had  fallen  by  the  edge  of  a  fountain  which  extinguished  the 
fire  in  its  vicinage,  and  I  was  found  breathing.  During  three 
days  I  had  lain  insensible.  The  Jew  now  went  out  and  brought 
back  with  him  some  of  the  elders  of  our  people,  who,  notwith- 
standing the  decree  of  the  Emperor  Claudius,  had  remained 
in  Rome,  tho  in  increased  privacy.  I  was  carried  to  their 
house  of  assemblage,  concealed  among  groves  and  vineyards 
beyond  the  gates,  and  attended  to  with  a  care  which  might 
cure  all  things  but  the  wounds  of  the  mind.  On  the  great 
object  of  my  solicitude,  the  fate  of  my  Salome,  I  could  obtain 
no  relief.  I  wandered  over  the  site  of  the  palace ;  it  was  now 
a  mass  of  ashes  and  charcoal ;  its  ruins  had  been  probed  by 
hundreds ;  but  search  for  even  a  trace  of  what  would  have 
been  to  me  dearer  than  a  mountain  of  gold,  was  iu  vain. 

157 


crs  for  The  conflagration  continued  for  six  days,  and  every  day  of 
^e  numDer  gave  birth  to  some  monstrous  report  of  its  origin. 
Of  the  fourteen  districts  of  Rome,  but  four  remained.  Thou- 
sands had  lost  their  lives,  tens  of  thousands  were  utterly  un- 
done ;  the  whole  empire  shook  under  the  blow.  Then  came 
the  still  deeper  horror. 

Fear  makes  the  individual  feeble,  but  it  makes  the  multi- 
tude ferocious.  A  universal  cry  arose  for  revenge.  Great 
public  misfortunes  give  the  opportunity  that  the  passions  of 
men  and  sects  love,  and  the  fiercest  crimes  of  selfishness  are 
justified  under  the  name  of  retribution. 

But  the  full  calamity  burst  on  the  Christians,  then  too  new 
to  have  fortified  themselves  in  the  national  prejudices,  if  they 
would  have  suffered  the  alliance ;  too  poor  to  reckon  on  any 
powerful  protectors ;  and  too  uncompromising  to  palliate  their 
scorn  of  the  whole  public  system  of  morals,  philosophy,  and 
religion.  The  Emperor,  the  priesthood,  and  the  populace  con- 
spired against  them,  and  they 'were  ordered  to  the  slaughter. 

I  too  had  my  stimulants  to  hatred.  Where  was  I?  In  exile, 
in  desperate  hazard ;  I  had  been  torn  from  home,  robbed  of 
my  child,  made  miserable  by  the  fear  of  apostasy  in  my 
house;  and  by  whom  was  this  comprehensive  evil  done?  The 
name  of  Christian  was  gall  to  me.  I  heard  of  the  popular 
vengeance,  and  called  it  justice;  I  saw  the  distant  fires  in 
which  the  Christians  were  being  consumed,  and  calculated  how 
many  each  night  of  those  horrors  would  subtract  from  the 
guilty  number.  Man  becomes  cruel  by  the  sight  of  cruelty, 
and  when  thousands  and  hundreds  of  thousands  were  shouting 
for  vengeance ;  when  every  face  looked  fury,  and  every  tongue 
was  wild  with  some  new  accusation ;  when  the  great  and  the 
little,  the  philosopher  and  the  ignorant,  raised  up  one  roar  of 
reprobation  against  the  Christian,  was  the  solitary  man  of 
mercy  to  be  looked  for  in  one  bleeding  from  head  to  foot  with 
wrongs  irreparable? 

On  one  of  those  dreadful  nights,  I  was  gazing  from  the 
housetop  on  the  fire  forcing  its  way  through  the  remaining 
quarters,  the  melancholy  gleams  through  the  country  showing 
the  extent  of  the  flight,  and  in  the  midst  of  the  blackened  and 

158 


Gbe  Deatb  of  a 


dreary  wastes  of  Rome,  the  spots  of  livid  flame  where  the  preparations 
Christians  were  perishing  at  the  pile,  when  I  was  summoned  or  Iecu  on8 
to  a  consultation  below. 

A  Jew  had  just  brought  an  imperial  edict  proclaiming  par- 
don of  all  offenses  to  the  discoverer  of  Christians.  I  would 
not  have  purchased  my  life  by  the  life  of  a  dog.  But  my 
safety  was  important  to  the  Jewish  cause,  and  I  was  pressed 
on  every  side  by  arguments  on  the  wisdom,  nay,  the  public 
duty,  of  accepting  freedom  on  any  terms.  And  what  was  to 
be  the  price? — the  life  of  criminals  long  obnoxious  to  the  laws 
and  now  stained  beyond  mercy.  I  loathed  delay ;  I  loathed 
Home ;  I  was  wild  to  return  to  the  great  cause  of  my  country, 
which  never  could  have  a  fairer  hope  than  now.  An  emissary 
was  sent  out ;  money  soon  effected  the  discovery  of  a  Christian 
assemblage  ;  I  appeared  before  the  praetor  with  my  documents, 
and  brought  back  in  my  hand  the  imperial  pardon,  given  with 
the  greater  good  will  as  the  assemblage  chanced  to  compre- 
hend the  chiefs  of  the  heresy.  They  were  seized,  ordered 
forthwith  to  the  pile,  and  I  was  commanded  to  be  present  at 
this  completion  of  my  national  service. 

The  executions  were  in  the  gardens  of  the  imperial  palace, 
which  had  been  thrown  open  by  Nero  for  the  double  purpose 
of  popularity  and  of  indulging  himself  with  the  display  of 
death  at  the  slightest  personal  inconvenience.  The  crowd  was 
prodigioiis,  and  to  gratify  the  greatest  possible  number  at  once, 
those  murders  were  carried  on  in  different  parts  of  the  gardens. 
In  the  vineyard,  a  certain  portion  were  to  be  crucified ;  in  the 
orangery,  another  portion  were  to  be  burned;  in  the  pleasure- 
ground,  another  portion  were  to  be  torn  by  lions  and  tigers; 
gladiators  were  to  be  let  loose,  and  when  the  dusk  came  on,  the 
whole  of  the  space  was  to  be  lighted  by  human  torches,  Chris- 
tians wrapped  in  folds  of  linen  covered  with  pitch  and  bitumen, 
and  thus  burning  down  from  the  head  to  the  ground. 

I  was  horror-struck,  but  escape  was  now  impossible,  and  I 
must  go  through  the  whole  hideous  round.  With  my  flesh 
quivering,  my  ears  ringing,  my  eyes  dim,  I  was  forced  to  see 
miserable  beings,  men  —nay  women,  nay  infants — sewed  up 
in  skins  of  beasts,  and  hunted  and  torn  to  pieces  by  dogs ;  old 

159 


tlarrg  Cbou  Cill  11  Come 


men,  whose  hoary  hairs  might  have  demanded  reverence  of 
savages,  scourged,  racked,  and  nailed  to  the  trees  to  die; 
lovely  young  females,  creatures  of  guileless  hearts  and  inno- 
cent beauty,  flung  on  flaming  scaffolds.  And  this  was  the 
work  of  man,  civilized  man,  in  the  highest  civilization  of  the 
arts,  the  manners,  and  the  learning  of  the  pagan  world ! 

But  the  grand  display  was  prepared  for  the  time  when 
those  Christians  who  had  been  denounced  on  my  discovery 
were  to  be  executed;  an  exhibition  at  which  the  Emperor  him- 
self announced  his  intention  to  be  present.  The  great  Circus 
was  no  more,  but  a  temporary  amphitheater  had  been  erected, 
in  which  the  usual  games  were  exhibited  during  the  early  part 
of  the  day.  At  the  hour  of  my  arrival,  the  low  bank  circling 
this  immense  enclosure  was  filled  with  the  first  names  of 
Rome — knights,  patricians,  senators,  military  tribunes,  con- 
suls ;  the  Emperor  alone  was  wanting  to  complete  the  repre- 
sentative majesty  of  the  empire.  I  was  to  form  a  part  of  the 
ceremony,  and  the  guard  who  had  me  in  charge  cleared  the 
way  to  a  conspicuous  place,  where  my  national  dress  fixed 
every  eye  on  me.  Several  Christians  had  perished  before  my 
arrival.  Their  remains  lay  on  the  ground,  and  in  their  midst 
stood  the  man  who  was  to  be  the  next  victim."  By  what  in- 
fluence I  know  not,  but  never  did  I  see  a  human  being  who 
made  on  me  so  deep  an  impression.  I  have  him  before  me  at 
this  instant. 

The  victims  had  been  generally  offered  life  for  recantation, 
and  this  man  was  giving  his  reply.  I  see  the  figure :  low,  yet 
with  an  air  of  nobleness ;  stooped  a  little  with  venerable  age, 
but  the  countenance  full  of  life,  and  marked  with  all  the  traits 
of  intellectual  power ;  the  strongly  aquiline  nose,  the  bold  lip, 
the  large  and  rapid  eye ;  the  whole  man  conveying  the  idea  of 
an  extraordinary  permanence  of  early  vigor  under  the  weight 
of  labor  or  of  years.  Even  the  hair  was  thick  and  black,  with 
scarcely  a  touch  of  silver.  If  the  place  and  time  were  Athens 
and  the  era  of  Demosthenes,  I  should  have  said  that  Demos- 
thenes stood  before  me.  The  vivid  action ;  the  flashing  rapid- 
ity with  which  he  seized  a  new  idea,  and  compressed  it  to  his 
purpose ;  the  impetuous  argument  that,  throwing  off  the  for- 

160 


Gbe  Dcatb  of  a 


mality  of  logic,  smote  with  the  strength  of  a  new  fact,  were  Ube  Christian 
Demosthenic.     Even  a  certain  infirmity  of  utterance,  and  an         pea  ' 
occasional  slight  difficulty  of  words,  added  to  the  likeness; 
but  there  was  a  hallowed  glance  and   a  solemn  yet  tender 
reach  of    thought   interposed    among  those  intense  appeals 
that  asserted  the   sacred  superiority  of  the  subject  and  the 
man.     He  was  already  speaking  when  I  reached  the  scene  of 
terrors.     I  can  give  but  an  outline  of  his  language. 

He  pointed  to  the  headless  bodies  round  him. 

"  For  what  have  these  my  brethren  died?  Answer  me, 
priests  of  Rome;  what  temple  did  they  force— what  altar 
overthrow — what  insults  offer  to  the  slightest  of  your  public 
celebrations?  Judges  of  Rome,  what  offense  did  they  commit 
against  the  public  peace?  Consuls,  where  were  they  found  in 
rebellion  against  the  Roman  majesty?  People  of  Rome, 
whom  among  your  thousands  can  charge  one  of  these  holy 
dead  with  extortion,  impurity,  or  violence ;  can  charge  them 
with  anything  but  the  patience  tha.t  bore  wrong  without  a 
murmur,  and  the  charity  that  answered  tortures  only  by 
prayer?  " 

He  then  touched  vipon  the  nature  of  his  faith. 

"  Do  I  stand  here  demanding  to  be  believed  for  opinions? 
No,  but  for  facts.  I  have  seen  the  sick  made  whole,  the 
lame  walk,  the  blind  receive  their  sight,  by  the  mere  name  of 
Him  whom  you  crucified.  I  have  seen  men,  once  ignorant  of 
all  languages  but  their  own,  speaking  with  the  language  of 
every  nation  under  heaven ;  the  still  greater  wonder  of  the 
timid  defying  all  fear,  the  unlearned  instantly  made  wise  in 
the  mysteries  of  things  divine  and  human,  the  peasant  putting 
to  shame  the  learned — awing  the  proud,  enlightening  the 
darkened ;  alike  in  the  courts  of  kings,  before  the  furious  peo- 
ple, and  in  the  dungeon,  armed  with  an  irrepressible  spirit  of 
knowledge,  reason,  and  truth  that  confounded  their  adver- 
saries. I  have  seen  the  still  greater  wonder  of  the  renewed 
heart;  the  impure  suddenly  abjuring  vice;  the  covetous,  the 
cruel,  the  faithless,  the  godless,  gloriously  changed  into  the 
holy,  the  gentle,  the  faithful,  worshipers  of  the  true  God  in 
spirit  and  in  truth — the  conquest  of  the  passions  which  defied 

11  161 


Cbou  GUI  f  Come 


Ube  jfattb  of  your  philosophers,  your  tribunals,  your  rewards,  and  your  ter- 
a  Christian  one  mighty  name.     Those  are  facts, 


things  which  I  have  seen  with  these  eyes  ;  and  who  that  had 
seen  them  could  doubt  that  the  finger  of  God  was  there? 
Dared  I  refuse  my  belief  to  the  divine  mission  of  the  Being  by 
whom,  and  even  in  memory  of  whom,  things  baffling  the 
proudest  human  means  were  wrought  before  my  senses?  Irre- 
sistibly compelled  by  facts  to  believe  that  Christ  was  sent  by 
God,  I  was  with  equal  force  compelled  to  believe  in  the  doc- 
trines declared  by  that  glorious  revealer  of  the  King  alike  of 
quick  and  dead.  And  thus  I  stand  before  you  this  day,  at 
the  close  of  a  long  life  of  labor  and  love,  a  Christian." 

This  appeal  to  the  understanding,  divested  as  it  was  of  all 
studied  ornament,  was  listened  to  by  the  immense  multitude 
with  the  most  unbroken  interest.  It  was  delivered  with  the 
strong  simplicity  of  conviction.  He  then  spoke  of  the 
Founder  of  his  faith. 

"  Men  may  be  insane  for  opinions,  but  who  can  be  insane 
for  facts?  The  coining  of  Christ  was  prophesied  a  thousand 
years  before  !  "From  the  beginning  of  His  ministry,  He  lived 
wholly  before  the  eyes  of  mankind.  His  life  corresponds  with 
the  prophecies  in  circumstances  totally  beyond  human  conjec- 
ture, contrivance,  or  power.  The  Virgin  Mother,  the  village 
in  which  He  was  born,  the  lowliness  of  His  cradle,  the  wor- 
ship paid  to  Him  there,  the  hazard  of  His  life  —  all  were  pre- 
dicted. Could  the  infant  have  shaped  the  accomplishment  of 
those  predictions?  The  death  that  He  should  die,  the  hands 
by  which  it  was  to  be  inflicted,  even  the  draft  that  He 
should  drink,  the  raiment  that  He  should  be  clothed  in,  and 
the  sepulcher  in  which  He  should  be  laid,  were  predicted. 
Could  the  man  have  shaped  their  accomplishment?  The  time 
of  His  resting  in  the  tomb,  His  resurrection,  His  ascent  to 
heaven,  the  sending  of  the  Holy  Spirit  after  He  was  gone  — 
all  were  predicted  ;  all  were  beyond  human  collusion,  human 
power,  even  beyond  human  thought  ;  all  were  accomplished  ! 
Is  not  here  the  finger  of  God? 

"  Those  things,  too,  were  universally  known  to  the  nation 
most  competent  to  detect  collusion.  Did  Christ  come  to 

162 


Deatb  of  a  /Bbartgr 


Home,  where  every  new  religion  finds  adherents,  and  where  cbrfet, 
all  pretensions  might  be  advanced  without  fear;  where  a  de- 
ceiver might  have  quoted  prophecies  that  never  existed,  and 
vaunted  of  wonders  done  where  there  was  no  eye  to  detect 
them?  No!  His  life  was  spent  in  Judea.  He  made  His  ap- 
peal to  the  Scriptures,  in  a  country  where  they  were  in  the 
hands  of  the  nation.  His  miracles  were  brought  before  the 
eyes  of  a  priesthood  that  watched  him  step  by  step ;  His  doc- 
trines were  spoken,  not  to  the  mingled  multitude  holding  a 
thousand  varieties  of  opinion,  and  careless  of  all,  but  to  an 
exclusive  race,  subtle  in  their  inquiries,  eager  in  their  zeal, 
and  proud  of  their  peculiar  possession  of  divine  knowledge. 

"  Yet  against  His  life,  His  miracles,  or  His  doctrine,  what 
charge  could  they  bring?  None.  There  is  not  a  single  stig- 
ma on  the  purity  of  His  conduct ;  the  power  of  His  wonder- 
working control  over  man  and  nature;  the  holiness,  wis- 
dom, and  grandeur  of  His  views  of  Providence;  the  truth, 
charity,  and  meekness  of  His  counsels  to  man.  Their  single 
source  of  hatred  was  the  pride  of  worldly  hearts,  that  expected 
a  king  where  they  were  to  have  found  a  teacher. 

"Their  single  charge  against  Him  was  His  prophecy  that 
there  should  be  an  end  to  their  Temple  and  their  state  within 
the  life  of  man. 

"  They  crucified  Him ;  He  died  in  prayer,  that  His  murder- 
crs  might  be  forgiven  ;  and  His  prayer  was  mightily  answered. 
He  had  scarcely  risen  to  His  eternal  throne  when  thousands 
believed  and  were  forgiven.  To  Him  be  the  glory,  forever 
and  ever !  " 

All  this  was  heard  in  wonder.  I  could  see  eyes  lifted  to 
heaven,  and  lips  as  if  moved  in  prayer. 

"  Compare  Him  with  your  legislators.  He  gives  the  spirit 
of  all  law  in  a  single  sentence :  '  Do  unto  others  as  you  would 
they  should  do  unto  you.'  Compare  Him  with  your  priest- 
hood. He  gives  a  single  prayer,  containing  the  substance  of 
all  that  man  can  rationally  implore  of  heaven.  Compare 
Him  with  your  moralists.  He  lays  the  foundation  of  virtue 
in  love  to  God !  Compare  him  with  your  sages.  He  leads  a 
life  of  privation  without  a  murmur ;  He  dies  a  death  of  shame, 

163 


Gbou  Gilt  f  Come 


»  face  desertion,  and  agony,  and  His  last  breath  is  mercy!  Compare 
Him  with  your  conquerors.  Without  the  shedding  of  a  drop 
of  blood  He  has  already  conquered  hosts  that  would  have  re- 
sisted all  the  swords  of  earth;  hosts  of  stubborn  passions, 
cherished  vices,  guilty  perversions  of  the  powers  and  faculties 
of  man.  In  proof  of  all,  look  on  these  glorious  dead,  whom 
I  shall  join  before  the  set  of  yonder  sun.  Yes,  martyrs  of 
God!  ye  were  His  conquests,  and  ye  too  are  more  than  con- 
querors, through  Him  that  loved  us  and  gave  Himself  for  us. 
But  a  triumph  shall  come,  magnificent  and  terrible,  when  all 
eyes  shall  behold  Him,  and  the  tribes  of  the  earth,  even  they 
who  pierced  Him,  shall  mourn." 

Some  raged,  more  listened,  many  wept.  He  spoke  with 
still  loftier  energy. 

"Then  rejoice,  ye  dead!  for  ye  shall  rise;  ye  shall  be 
clothed  with  glory;  ye  shall  be  as  the  angels,  bright  and 
powerful,  immortal,  intellectual  kings !  '  For  tho  worms  de- 
stroy this  body,  yet  in  my  flesh  shall  I  see  God. ' ' 

He  paused,  as  if  he  saw  the  vision. 

The  sky  was  cloudless ;  the  sun  was  in  the  west,  but  shining 
in  his  broadest  beams ;  the  whole  space  before  me  was  flooded 
with  light ;  when,  as  I  gazed  upon  the  martyr,  I  saw  a  gleam 
issue  from  his  upturned  face;  it  increased  to  brightness,  to 
radiance,  to  an  intense  luster  that  made  the  sunlight  utterly 
pale.  All  was  astonishment  in  the  amphitheater,  all  was 
awe.  The  old  man  seemed  unconscious  of  the  wonder  that 
invested  him.  He  continued  with  his  open  hands  lifted  up 
and  his  eyes  fixed  on  heaven.  .The  glory  spread  over  his  form, 
and  he  stood  before  us  robed  in  an  effulgence  which  shot  from' 
him,  like  a  living  fount  of  splendor,  round  the  colossal  circle. 
Yet  the  blaze,  tho  it  looked  the  very  essence  of  light,  was 
strangely  translucent ;  we  could  see  with  undazzled  eyes  every 
feature,  and  whether  it  was  the  working  of  my  overwhelmed 
mind,  or  a  true  change,  the  countenance  appeared  to  have 
passed  at  once  from  age  to  youth.  A  lofty  joy,  a  look  of  su- 
pernal grandeur,  a  magnificent  yet  ethereal  beauty,  had  trans- 
formed the  features  of  the  old  man  into  the  likeness  of  the 
winged  sons  of  Immortality! 

164 


Cbe  Deatb  of  a  dfcartgr 


He  spoke  again,  and  the  first  sound  of  his  voice  thrilled  » Christian's 
through  every  bosom  and  made  every  man   start  from   his 
seat. 

"Men  and  brethren!  it  is  the  desire  of  your  Father  that 
all  should  be  saved — Jew  and  Gentile  alike — for  with  Him 
there  is  no  respect  of  persons.  He  is  the  Father  of  all! 
Christianity  is  not  a  philosophic  dream,  but  a  divine  command 
— the  summons  of  the  God  of  gods,  that  you  should  accept  His 
mercy — the  opening  of  the  gates  of  an  eternal  world !  It  is  not 
a  call  to  the  practise  of  barren  virtue,  but  a  declaration  of 
reward  mightier  than  the  imagination  of  man  can  conceive. 
Would  you  be  immortals — would  you  be  glorious  as  the  stars 
of  heaven — would  you  possess  eternal  faculties  of  happiness, 
supremacy,  and  knowledge?  Ask  for  forgiveness  of  your  evil, 
in  the  name  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth!  What  is  easier  than  the 
price?  What  more  transcendent  than  -  the  reward?  Who 
shall  tell  the  limit  of  the  risen  soul?  What  resistless  power, 
what  more  than  regal  majesty,  what  celestial  beauty  may  be 
in  His  fame !  What  expansion  of  intellect,  what  overflowing 
tides  of  new  sensation,  what  shapes  of  loveliness,  what  ra- 
diant stores  of  thought  and  mysteries  of  exhaustless  knowl- 
edge, may  be  treasured  for  Him !  What  endless  ascent  through 
new  ranks  of  being,  each  as  much  more  glorious  than  the  last 
as  the  risen  spirit  is  above  man !  For  what  can  be  the  limit  to 
the  power  of  God  to  make  those  happy,  glorious,  and  mighty 
whom  He  will?  For  what  can  be  the  bound  to  the  fellow  heirs 
with  Christ,  their  Leader  in  trial,  their  Leader  in  triumph? 
Omnipotence  for  their  protector,  for  their  friend,  for  their 
father !  He  who  gave  to  us  His  own  Son,  will  He  not  with 
Him  give  us  all  things?  " 

The  voice  sank  into  prayer. 

"King  of  kings!  if  through  along  life  I  have  labored  in 
Thy  cause,  in  perils  of  waters,  in  perils  of  robbers,  in  perils 
by  mine  own  countrymen,  in  perils  by  the  heathen,  in  perils 
in  the  city,  in  perils  in  the  wilderness,  in  perils  in  the  sea,  in 
perils  among  false  brethren,  in  weariness  and  painfulness,  in 
watchings  often,  in  hunger  and  thirst,  in  cold  and  nakedness — 
Thine  alone  be  the  praise,  Thine  the  glory,  0  Thou  who  hast 

165 


tlbou  Gill  f  Come 


Ube  arrival  of  brought  me  through  them  all,  with  a  strong  hand  and  an  out- 
stretched arm.  And  now,  Lord,  Thou  who  shalt  change  my 
vile  body  into  the  likeness  of  Thy  glorious  body,  be  with  Thy 
servant  in  this  last  hour !  Savior  and  God !  receive  my  spirit, 
that  where  Thou  art,  even  I  may  be  with  Thee !  " 

He  was  silent;  the  splendor  gradually  passed  away  from 
his  form,  and  he  knelt  upon  the  sand,  bowing  his  neck  to 
receive  the  blow.  But  to  lift  a  hand  against  such  a  being 
seemed  now  an  act  of  profanation.  The  ax-bearer  dared  not 
approach.  The  spectators  sat  hushed  in  involuntary  homage ; 
and  not  a  word,  not  a  gesture  broke  the  silence  of  venera- 
tion. 

At  length  a  flourish  of  distant  trumpets  was  heard.  Cav- 
alry galloped  forward,  announcing  the  Emperor,  and  Nero, 
habited  as  a  charioteer  in  the  games,  drove  his  gilded  car  into 
the  arena.  The  Christian  had  risen  and,  with  his  hands  clasped 
upon  his  breast,  was  awaiting  death.  Nero  cast  the  headsman 
an  execration  at  his  tardiness;  the  ax  swept  round,  and  when 
I  glanced  again,  the  old  man  lay  beside  his  brethren. 

This  man  I  had  sacrificed.  My  heart  smote  me ;  I  would 
have  fled  the  place  of  blood,  but  I  was  in  the  midst  of  guards ; 
more  of  my  victims  were  to  be  slain,  and  I  must  be  the  shrink- 
ing witness  of  all.  The  Emperor's  arrival  commenced  the 
grand  display.  He  took  his  place  under  the  curtains  of  the  royal 
pavilion.  The  dead  were  removed ;  perfumes  were  scattered 
through  the  air ;  rose-water  was  sprinkled  from  silver  tubes 
upon  the  exhausted  multitude;  music  resounded,  incense 
burned,  and  in  the  midst  of  those  preparations  of  luxury  the 
lion-combat  began. 

A  portal  of  the  arena  opened  and  the  combatant,  with  a 
mantle  thrown  over  his  face  and  figure,  was  led  in  surrounded 
by  soldiery.  The  lion  roared  and  ramped  against  the  bars  of 
its  den  at  the  sight.  The  guard  put  a  sword  and  buckler  into 
the  hands  of  the  Christian,  and  he  was  left  alone.  He  drew 
the  mantle  from  his  face,  and  looked  slowly  and  steadily  round 
the  amphitheater.  His  fine  countenance  and  lofty  bearing 
raised  a  universal  sound  of  admiration.  He  might  have  stood 
for  an  Apollo  encountering  the  Python.  His  eyes  at  last 

166 


Deatb  of  a 


turned  on  mine.     Could  I  believe  my  senses?      Constantius    Constantius 
was  before  me! 

All  my  rancor  vanished.  In  the  moment  before,  I  could 
have  struck  the  betrayer  to  the  heart ;  I  could  have  called  on 
the  severest  vengeance  of  man  and  Heaven  to  smite  the  de- 
stroyer of  my  child.  But  to  see  him  hopelessly  doomed ;  the 
man  whom  I  had  honored  for  his  noble  qualities,  whom  I  had 
even  loved,  whose  crime  was  at  worst  but  the  crime  of  giving 
way  to  the  strongest  temptation  that  can  bewilder  man ;  to 
see  this  noble  creature  flung  to  the  savage  beast,  torn  piece- 
meal before  my  eyes — I  would  have  cried  to  earth  and  heaven 
to  save  him.  But  my  tongue  cleaved  to  the  roof  of  my  mouth ; 
I  would  have  thrown  myself  at  the  feet  of  Nero,  but  I  sat  like 
a  man  of  stone,  pale,  paralyzed — the  beating  of  my  pulse 
stopped — my  eyes  alone  alive. 

The  gate  of  the  den  was  now  thrown  back,  and  the  lion 
rushed  in  with  a  roar  and  a  bound  that  bore  him  half  across 
the  arena.  I  saw  the  sword  glitter  in  the  air ;  when  it  waved 
again  it  was  covered  with  blood,  and  a  howl  told  that  the 
blow  had  been  driven  home.  The  lion,  one  of  the  largest 
from  Numidia,  and  made  furious  by  thirst  and  hunger,  an  ani- 
mal of  prodigious  power,  crouched  for  an  instant  as  if  to  make 
sure  of  his  prey,  crept  a  few  paces  onward,  and  sprang  at  the 
victim's  throat.  He  was  met  by  a  second  wound,  but  his 
impulse  was.  irresistible,  and  Constantius  was  flung  upon  the 
ground. 

A  cry  of  natural  horror  rang  round  the  amphitheater. 
The  struggle  was  now  for  instant  life  or  death.  They  rolled 
over  each  other ;  the  lion  reared  on  his  hind  feet  and  with 
gnashing  teeth  and  distended  talons  plunged  on  the  man; 
again  they  rose  together.  Anxiety  was  now  at  its  wildest 
height.  The  sword  swung  round  the  champion's  head  in 
bloody  circles.  They  fell  again.  The  hand  of  Constantius 
had  grasped  the  lion's  mane,  and  the  furious  bounds  of  the 
monster  could  not  loose  his  hold ;  but  his  strength  was  evi- 
dently giving  way^  he  still  struck  terrible  blows,  but  each 
was  weaker  than  the  one  before ;  till,  collecting  his  whole 
force  for  a  last  effort,  he  darted  one  mighty  blow  into  the 

167 


Cbou  trill  1  Come 


Ube  lion's  throat  and  sank.  The  savage  yelled,  and,  spouting  out 
PSaiomce°  blood,  fled  bellowing  round  the  arena.  But  the  hand  still 
grasped  the  mane,  and  his  conqueror  was  dragged  whirling 
through  the  dust  at  his  heels.  A  universal  outcry  now  arose 
to  save  Constantius,  if  he  were  not  already  dead.  But  the 
lion,  'tho  bleeding  from  every  vein,  was  still  too  terrible,  and 
all  shrank  from  the  hazard.  At  length  the  grasp  gave  way 
and  the  body  lay  motionless  on  the  ground. 

What  happened  for  some  moments  after  I  know  not. 
There  was  a  struggle  at  the  portal ;  a  woman  forced  her  way 
through  the  guards,  rushed  in  alone,  and  flung  herself  upon 
the  victim.  The  sight  of  a  new  prey  roused  the  lion ;  he  tore 
the  ground  with  his  talons ;  he  lashed  his  streaming  sides  with 
his  tail ;  he  lifted  up  his  mane  and  bared  his  fangs.  But  he 
came  no  longer  with  a  bound;  he  dreaded  the  sword,  and 
crept,  snuffing  the  blood  on  the  sand,  and  stealing  round  the 
body  in  circuits  still  diminishing. 

The  confusion  in  the  vast  assemblage  was  now  extreme. 
Voices  innumerable  called  for  aid.  Women  screamed  and 
fainted.  Even  the  hard-hearted  populace,  accustomed  as 
they  were  to  the  sacrifices  of  life,  were  roused  to  honest 
iurses.  The  guards  grasped  their  arms,  and  waited  but  for  a 
sign  of  mercy  from  the  Emperor.  But  Nero  gave  no  sign.  I 
glanced  upon  the  woman's  face.  It  was  Salome!  I  sprang 
upon  my  feet.  I  called  on  her  name ;  I  implored  her  to  fly 
from  that  place  of  death,  to  come  to  my  arms,  to  think  of  the 
agonies  of  all  who  loved  her. 

She  had  raised  the  head  of  Constantius  on  her  knee,  and 
was  wiping  the  pale  visage  with  her  hair.  At  the  sound  of 
my  voice  she  looked  up,  and  calmly  casting  back  the  locks 
from  her  forehead,  fixed  her  gaze  upon  me.  She  still  knelt ; 
one  hand  supported  the  head,  and  with  the  other  she  pointed  to 
it,  as  her  only  answer.  I  again  adjured  her.  There  was  the 
silence  of  death  among  the  thousands  round  me.  A  sudden 
tire  flashed  into  her  eye — her  cheek  burned.  She  waved  her 
hand  with  an  air  of  superb  sorrow. 

"I  am  come  to  die,"  she  uttered,  in  a  lofty  tone.  "This 
bleeding  body  was  niy  husband.  I  have  no  father.  The  world 

168 


heard  the  gnashing  of  his  white  fangs  above  me." 

[seepage  769 


\N  hat    !.  i 

There  was  a  struggle 
through  the  gtui' 

th'     -I-     . 
tin;  ground  v. 
his  Ui! ;  In-  : 
•.•rum-   ii"   Ion;. 
crept,  snuifiii; 
body  in  eircu 

The  coni 

Voices  innumerable  c 
fainted.      Even    • 


mvage  yelled,  and,  sp< 

: 
was  dr;i 

<-rsal  on; 

•  •ad.      Bi. 
.11.  too  tet 
-,-th  the  g; 

ud. 
t.s   after    I   knov, 


'  reaming 
iiis  fangs 


<l  but  1 

• 

;    I   implored 

. 

agon*.'*  •)!  all  who  k>^ 

•'..      •!•«       '.I; 

was  ••  ••      •:   :'••     |-ale  th   her  hair.      At  the  ; 

...    .sh.-   '.«.k»-d  xjj..  'mly  casting  back 

.  •     •       '•-:       ,•'      ; 

one  iiand  sujiportrd  l\\?  head,  and  wit.h  tin'  ol 

;t,  a.-,  lier  uni\  answer.       .  •!  her.      There  wa» 

silence  of  death  HIUOJ 

<•  iiish":!  iiid    ;,,  •  ry.-  .vaved 


.!ty  tone. 
no  father.     The  v 


...  •   • 


Copyright,  1901,  by  Funk  &  Waffnalls  Company,  N.  Y.  and  London. 


Beatb  of  a 


contains  for  me  but  this   clay  in  my  arms.     Yet,"  and  she  ube  Ent>  of  the 
kissed  the  ashy  lips  before  her,  "  yet,  my  Constantius,  it  was        om  at 
to  save  that  father  that  your  generous  heart  defied  the  peril  of 
this  hour.     It  was  to  redeem  him  from  the  hand  of  evil  that 
you  abandoned  our  quiet  home !     Yes,  cruel  father,  here  lies 
the  preserver  who  threw  open  your  dungeon,  who  led  you  safe 
through  conflagration,  who  to  the  last  moment  of  his  liberty 
only  thought  how  he  might  protect  you." 

Tears  at  length  fell  in  floods  from  her  eyes. 

"But,"  said  she,  in  a  tone  of  wild  power,  "he  was  be- 
trayed, and  may  the  Power  whose  thunders  avenge  the  cause 
of  His  people  pour  down  just  retribution  upon  the  head  that 
dared r" 

I  heard  uiy  own  condemnation  about  to  be  unconsciously  pro- 
nounced by  the  lips  of  my  child.  Wound  up  to  the  last  de- 
gree of  suffering,  I  tore  my  way,  leaped  on  the  bars  before  me, 
and  plunged  into  the  arena  by  her  side.  The  height  was  stun- 
ning ;  I  tottered  forward  a  few  paces,  and  fell.  The  lion  gave 
a  roar  and  sprang  upon  me.  I  lay  helpless  under  him ;  I  felt 
his  fiery  breath;  I  saw  his  lurid  eye  glaring;  I  heard  the 
gnashing  of  his  white  fangs  above  me 

An  exulting  shout  arose.  I  saw  him  reel  as  if  struck — gore 
filled  his  jaws.  Another  mighty  blow  was  driven  to  his  heart. 
He  sprang  high  into  the  air  with  a  howl.  He  dropped — he 
was  dead !  The  amphitheater  thundered  with  acclamation. 

With  Salome  clinging  to  my  bosom,  Constantius  raised  me 
from  the  ground.  The  roar  of  the  lion  had  roused  him  from 
his  swoon,  and  two  blows  saved  me.  The  falchion  was  brok- 
en in  the  heart  of  the  monster.  The  whole  multitude  stood 
up  supplicating  for  our  lives,  in  the  name  of  filial  piety  and 
heroism.  Nero,  devil  as  he  was,  dared  not  resist  the  strength 
of  the  popular  feeling ;  he  waved  a  signal  to  the  guards ;  the 
portal  was  opened,  and  my  children,  sustaining  my  feeble 
steps,  and  showered  with  garlands  and  ornaments  from  innu- 
merable hands,  slowly  led  me  from  the  arena. 

END    OF    BOOK   I. 


169 


CHAPTER  XXII 
We    Year  of  Jubilee 

THE  first  rage  of  the  persecution  was  at  an  end ; 30  the  popu-  »  metroepect 
lar  thirst  for  blood  was  satiated.  The  natural  admiration  that 
follows  fortitude  and  innocence,  and  the  natural  hatred  that 
consigns  a  tyrant  to  the  execration  of  his  time  and  of  poster- 
ity, found  their  way,  and  Nero  dared  murder  no  more.  I 
voluntarily  shared  the  prison  of  Constantius  and  my  child. 
Its  doors  were  now  set  open.  The  liberality  of  my  people 
supplied  the  means  of  returning  to  Judea,  and  we  hastened 
down  the  Tiber  in  the  first  vessel  that  spread  her  sails  from 
this  throne  of  desolation. 

The  chances  that  had  brought  us  together  were  soon  ex- 
plained. Salome,  urged  to  desperation  by  the  near  approach 
of  her  marriage,  and  anxious  to  save  herself  from  the  perjury 
of  vowing  her  love  to  one  unpossessed  of  her  heart,  had  flown 
with  Constantius  to  Csesarea.  The  only  person  in  their  con- 
fidence was  the  domestic  who  betrayed  me  into  the  hands  of 
the  procurator,  and  who  assisted  them  only  that  he  might  lure 
me  from  home. 

At  Caesarea  they  were  wedded,  and  remained  in  conceal- 
ment, under  the  protection  of  the  young  Septimius.  My 
transmission  to  Rome  struck  them  with  terror,  and  Constan- 
tius instantly  embarked  to  save  me  by  his  Italian  influence. 
The  attempt  was  surrounded  with  peril,  but  Salome  would  not 
be  left  behind.  Disguised,  to  avoid  my  possible  refusal  of 
life  at  his  hands,  he  followed  me  step  by  step.  There  were 
many  of  our  people  among  the  attendants  and  even  in  the 
higher  offices  of  the  court.  The  Empress  had,  in  her  re- 
proaches to  Nero,  disclosed  the  new  barbarity  of  my  sentence. 
No  time  was  to  be  lost.  Constantius,  at  the  imminent  hazard 
of  life,  entered  the  palace.  He  saw  the  block  already  erected 

173 


Gbou  (Till  fl  Come 


tibe  iRcturn  in  the  garden  before  the  window,  where  Nero  sat  inventing  a 
melody  which  was  to  grace  my  departure.  The  confusion  of 
the  fire  offered  the  only  escape.  I  was  witness  of  his  conster- 
nation when  he  made  so  many  fruitless  efforts  to  penetrate 
to  the  place  where  Salome  remained  in  the  care  of  his  rela- 
tives. When  I  scaled  the  burning  mansion,  he  desperately 
followed,  lost  his  way  among  the  ruins,  and  was  giving  up  all 
hope  when,  wrapped  in  fire  and  smoke,  Salome  fell  at  his 
feet.  He  bore  her  to  another  mansion  of  his  family.  It  had 
given  shelter  to  the  chief  Christians.  They  were  seized.  His 
young  wife  scorned  to  survive  Constantius ;  and  chance  and 
my  own  fortunate  desperation  alone  saved  me  from  seeing 
their  martyrdom. 

We  returned  to  Judea.  In  the  first  embrace  of  my  family 
all  was  forgotten  and  forgiven.  My  brother  rejoiced  in  Sa- 
lome's happiness;  and  even  her  rejected  kinsman,  despite  his 
reluctance,  acknowledged  the  claims  of  him  who  had  saved  the 
life  of  the  father,  to  the  daughter's  hand. 

What  perception  of  health  is  ever  so  exquisite  as  when  we 
first  rise  from  the  bed  of  sickness?  What  enjoyment  of  the 
heart  is  so  full  of  delight  as  that  which  follows  extreme  suf- 
fering? I  had  but  just  escaped  the  most  formidable  personal 
hazards ;  I  had  escaped  the  still  deeper  suffering  of  seeing 
ruin  fall  on  beings  whom  I  would  have  died  to  rescue.  Sa- 
lome's heart,  overflowing  with  happiness,  gave  new  brightness 
to  her  eyes  and  new  animation  to  her  lovely  form.  She 
danced  with  involuntary  joy,  she  sang,  she  laughed;  her 
fancy  kindled  into  a  thousand  sparklings.  Beautiful  being! 
in  my  visions  thou  art  still  before  me.  I  clasp  thee  to  my 
widowed  heart,  and  hear  thy  sweet  voice,  sweeter  than  the 
fountain  in  the  desert  to  the  pilgrim,  cheering  me  in  the  midst 
of  my  more  than  pilgrimage. 

An  accession  of  opulence  gave  the  only  increase,  if  increase 
could  be  given,  to  the  happiness  that  seemed  within  my  reach. 
The  year  of  JUBILEE  arrived.  Abolished  as  the  chief  customs 
of  Judea  had  been  by  the  weakness  and  guilt  of  idolatrous 
kings  and  generations,  they  were  still  observed  by  all  who 
honored  the  faith  of  their  fathers.  The  law  of  Jubilee  was 

174 


ttbe  H>ear  of  Jubilee 


sacred  in  our  mountains ;    it  was  the  law  of  a  wisdom  and    smrina  tbe 
benevolence  above  man. 

Its  peculiar  adaptation  to  Israel,  its  provision  for  the  virtue 
and  happiness  of  the  individual,  and  its  safeguard  of  the 
public  strength  and  constitutional  integrity,  were  unrivaled 
amongst  the  finest  ordinances  of  the  ancient  world. 

On  the  entrance  of  the  Israelites  into  Canaan,  the  land  was 
divided,  by  the  inspired  command,  among  the  tribes  accord- 
ing to  their  numbers.  To  each  family  a  portion  was  assignd 
as  a  gift  from  heaven.  The  gift  was  to  be  inalienable.  The 
estate  might  be  sold  for  a  period;  but  in  the  fiftieth  year,  on 
the  evening  of  the  Day  of  Atonement,  in  the  month  of  Tishri, 
the  sound  of  the  trumpets  from  the  sanctuary,  echoed  by 
thousands  of  voices  from  every  mountain-top,  proclaimed  the 
Jubilee.  Then  returned,  without  purchase,  every  fainily  to 
its  original  possessions.  All  the  more  abject  degradations 
of  poverty,  the  wearing  out  of  families,  the  hopeless  ruin, 
were  obviated  by  this  great  law.  The  most  undone  being  in 
the  limits  of  Judea  had  still  a  hold  in  the  land.  His  ruin 
could  not  be  final,  perhaps  could  not  extend  beyond  a  few 
years ;  in  the  last  extremity  he  could  not  be  scorned  as  one 
whose  birthright  was  extinguished ;  the  Jubilee  was  to  raise 
him  up  and  place  the  outcast  in  the  early  rank  of  the  sons  of 
Israel.  All  the  higher  feelings  were  cherished  by  this  incom- 
parable hope.  The  man,  conscious  of  his  future  possessions, 
retained  the  honorable  pride  of  property  under  the  sternest 
privations.  The  time  was  hurrying  on  when  he  should  stand 
on  an  equality  with  mankind,  when  his  worn  spirit  should  be- 
gin the  world  again  with  fresh  vigor,  if  he  were  young;  or 
when  he  should  sit  under  the  vine  and  the  fig-tree  of  his  fa- 
thers, if  his  age  refused  again  to  struggle  for  the  distinctions 
of  the  world. 

The  agrarian  law  of  Eome  and  Sparta,  feeble  efforts  to  es- 
tablish this  true  foundation  of  personal  and  political  vigor, 
showed  at  once  both  the  natural  impulse  and  the  weakness  of  hu- 
man wisdom.  The  Roman  plunged  the  people  into  furious  dis- 
sensions, which  perished  almost  in  their  birth.  The  Spartan 
was  secured  for  a  time  only  by  barbarian  prohibitions  of  money 

175 


Gbou  GUI  1  Come 


bc  allotment  and  commerce — a  code  which  raised  an  iron  wall  against  civ- 
ilization, turned  the  people  into  a  perpetual  soldiery,  and 
finally,  by  the  mere  result  of  continual  war,  overthrew  liberty, 
dominion,  and  name. 

The  Jubilee  was  for  a  peculiar  people,  restricted  by  a  divine 
interposition  from  increase  beyond  the  original  number.  But 
who  shall  say  how  far  the  same  benevolent  interposition  might 
not  have  been  extended  to  all  nations,  if  they  had  revered  the 
original  compact  of  heaven  with  man?  How  far  throughout 
the  earth  the  provisions  for  each  man's  wants  might  not  have 
been  secured — the  overwhelming  superabundance  of  portion- 
less life  that  fills  the  world  with  crime  might  not  have  been  re- 
strained ;  how  far  despotism,  that  growth  of  desperate  abject- 
ness  of  the  understanding  and  gross  corruption  of  the  senses, 
might  not  have  been  repelled  by  manly  knowledge  and  native 
virtue?  But  the  time  may  come. 

In  the  first  allotments  of  the  territory,  ample  domains  had 
been  appointed  for  the  princes  and  leaders  of  the  tribes.  One 
of  those  princedoms  now  returned  to  me,  and  I  entered  upon 
the  inheritance  of  the  leaders  of  Naphtali,  a  large  extent  of 
hill  and  valley,  rich  with  corn,  olive,  and  vine.  The  antiq- 
uity of  possession  gave  a  kind  of  hallowed  and  monumental 
interest  to  the  soil.  I  was  master  of  its  wealth,  but  I  in- 
dulged a  loftier  feeling  in  the  recollection  of  those  who  had 
trod  the  palace  and  the  plain  before  me.  Every  chamber  bore 
the  trace  of  those  whom  the  history  of  my  country  had  taught 
me  to  reverence ;  and  often,  when  in  some  of  the  fragrant 
evenings  of  summer  I  have  flung  myself  among  the  thick  beds 
of  bloom  that  spread  spontaneously  over  my  hills,  the  spirits* 
of  the  loved  and  honored  seemed  to  gather  round  me.  I  sav 
once  more  the  matron  gravity  and  the  virgin  grace ;  even  the 
more  remote  generations,  those  great  progenitors  who  witb 
David  fought  the  Philistine;  the  solemn  chieftains  who  with 
Joshua  followed  the  Ark  of  the  Covenant  through  toil  and 
battle  into  the  promised  land;  the  sainted  sages  who  witnessed 
the  giving  of  the  law,  and  worshiped  Him.  who  spake  in 
thunder  from  Sinai ;  all  moved  before  me,  for  all  had  trod  the 
very  ground  on  which  I  gazed.  Could  I  transfer  myself  back 

176 


Uear  of  Jubilee 


to  their  time,  on  that  spot  I  should  stand  among  a  living 
circle  of  heroic  and  glorious  beings  before  whose  true  glory 
the  pomps  of  earth  were  vain;  the  hearers  of  the  prophets 
themselves ;  the  servants  of  the  man  of  miracle,  the  compan- 
ions of  the  friend  of  God ;  nay,  distinction  that  surpasses  hu- 
man thought,  themselves  the  chosen  of  heaven. 

The  cheering  occupations  of  rural  life  were  to  be  henceforth 
pursued  on  a  scale  more  fitting  my  rank.  I  was  the  first 
chieftain  of  my  tribe,  the  man  by  whose  wisdom  multitudes 
were  to  be  guided,  and  by  whose  benevolence  multitudes  were 
to  be  sustained.  I  felt  that  mingled  sense  of  rank  and  re- 
sponsibility which  with  the  vain,  the  ignorant,  or  the  vicious 
is  the  strongest  temptation  to  excess,  but  with  the  honorable 
and  intelligent  constitutes  the  most  pleasurable  and  the  most 
elevated  state  of  the  human  mind. 

Yet  what  are  the  fortunes  of  man  but  a  ship  launched  on 
an  element  whose  essence  is  restlessness?  The  very  wind, 
without  which  we  can  not  move,  gathers  to  a  storm  and  we 
are  undone !  The  tyranny  of  our  conquerors  had  for  a  few 
months  been  paralyzed  by  the  destruction  of  Rome.  But  the 
governor  of  Judea  was  not  to  be  long  withheld,  where  plunder 
allured  the  most  furious  rapacity  that  perhaps  ever  hungered 
in  the  heart  of  man.  I  was  in  the  midst  of  our  harvest,  sur- 
rounded with  the  fruitage  of  the  year  and  enjoying  the  sights 
and  sounds  of  patriarchal  life,  when  I  received  the  formidable 
summons  to  present  myself  again  before  Florus.  Imprison- 
ment and  torture  were  in  the  command.  He  had  heard  of  my 
opulence,  and  I  knew  how  little  his  insolent  cupidity  would 
regard  the  pardon  under  which  I  had  returned.  I  determined 
to  retire  into  the  mountains  and  defy  him. 

But  the  Roman  plunderer  had  the  activity  of  his  country- 
men. On  the  very  night  of  my  receiving  the  summons  I  was 
roused  from  sleep  by  the  outcries  of  the  retainers,  who  in  that 
season  of  heat  lay  in  the  open  air  round  the  palace.  I  started 
from  my  bed,  only  to  see  with  astonishment  the  courtyards 
filled  with  cavalry,  galloping  in  pursuit  of  the  few  peasants 
who  still  fought  for  their  lord.  There  was  no  time  to  be  lost ; 
the  torches  were  already  in  the  hands  of  the  soldiery,  and  I 

12  177 


Gbou  Gill  f  Come 


tlbe  iRcacuc  of  must  be  taken  or  burned  alive.  Constantius  was  instantly  at 
iny  side.  I  ordered  the  trumpet  to  be  sounded  on  the  hills 
and  we  rushed  out  together,  spear  in  hand.  The  Romans, 
alarmed  by  resistance  where  they  had  counted  upon  capture 
without  a  blow,  fell  back.  The  interval  was  fatal  to  them. 
Their  retreat  was  intercepted  by  the  whole  body  of  the  peas- 
antry, at  length  effectually  roused.  The  scythe  and  reaping- 
hook  were  deadly  weapons  to  horsemen  cooped  up  between 
walls,  and  in  midnight.  No  efforts  of  mine  could  stop  the 
havoc,  when  once  the  fury  of  my  people  was  roused.  A  few 
escaped,  who  had  broken  wildly  away  in  the  first  onset.  The 
rest  were  left  to  cover  the  avenues  with  the  first  sanguinary 
offerings  of  the  final  war  of  Judea. 

I  felt  that  this  escape  could  be  but  temporary,  for  the  Ro- 
man policy  ilever  forgave  until  the  slightest  stain  of  defeat 
was  wiped  away.  All  was  consternation  in  my  family,  and 
the  order  for  departure,  whatever  tears  it  cost,  found  no  oppo- 
sition. In  a  few  hours  our  camels  and  mules  were  loaded, 
our  horses  caparisoned,  and  we  were  prepared  to  quit  the 
short-lived  pomp  of  the  house  of  my  fathers.  Constantius 
alone  did  not  appear.  This  noble-minded  being  had  Avon 
even  upon  me,  until  I  considered  him  the  substitute  for  my 
lost  son ;  and  I  would  run  the  last  hazard  rather  than  leave 
him  to  the  Roman  mercy.  With  the  women,  the  interest  was 
expressed  by  a  declared  resolution  not  to  leave  the  spot  until 
he  was  found.  The  caravan  was  broken  up  and  all  desire  of 
escape  was  at  an  end. 

At  the  close  of  a  day  of  search  through  every  defile  of  the 
country,  he  was  seen  returning  at  the  head  of  some  peasants 
bearing  a  body  on  a  litter.  I  flew  to  meet  him.  He  was  in 
deep  affliction,  and  drawing  off  the  mantle  which  covered  the 
face,  he  showed  me  Septimius. 

"In  the  flight  of  the  Romans,"  said  he,  "I  saw  a  horseman 
making  head  against  a  crowd.  His  voice  caught  my  ear.  I 
rushed  forward  to  save  him,  and  he  burst  through  the  circle 
at  full  speed.  But  by  the  light  of  the  torches  I  could  perceive 
that  he  was  desperately  wounded.  When  day  broke,  I  tracked 
him  by  his  blood.  His  horse,  gashed  by  scythe*,  had  fallen 

178 


Gbe  H>ear  of  Jubilee 


under  him.     T  found  my  unfortunate  friend  lying  senseless       iRoman 
beside  a  rill,  to  which  he  had  crept  for  water. " 

Tears  fell  from  his  eyes  as  he  told  the  brief  story.  I  too 
remembered  the  generous  interposition  of  the  youth,  and  when 
I  looked  upon  the  paleness  of  those  fine  Italian  features  that 
I  had  so  lately  seen  lighted  up  with  living  spirit,  and  in  a 
scene  of  regal  luxury,  I  felt  a  pang  for  the  uncertainty  of 
human  things.  But  the  painful  part  of  the  moral  was  spared 
us.  The  young  Roman's  wounds  were  stanched,  and  in  an 
enemy  and  a  Roman  I  found  the  means  of  paying  a  debt  of 
gratitude.  His  appearance  among  the  troops  sent  to  seize  me 
had  been  only  a  result  of  his  anxiety  to  save  the  father  of  his 
friends.  He  had  accidentally  discovered  the  nature  of  the 
order  and  hoped  to  anticipate  its  execution.  But  he  arrived 
only  in  time  to  be  involved  in  the  confusion  of  the  flight. 
Pursued  and  wounded  by  the  peasantry,  he  lost  his  way,  and 
but  for  the  generous  perseverance  of  Constantius  he  must 
have  died. 

The  public  information  which  he  brought  was  of  the  most 
important  kind.  In  the  Roman  councils,  the  utter  subjuga- 
tion of  Judea  was  resolved  on;  the  last  spark  of  national 
independence  was  to  be  extinguished,  tho  in  the  blood  of 
the  last  jiative;  a  Roman  colony  established  in  our  lands; 
the  Roman  worship  introduced ;  and  Jerusalem  profaned  by  a 
statue  of  Nero,  and  sacrifices  to  him  as  a  god,  on  the  altar  of 
the  sanctuary.  To  crush  the  resistance  of  the  people,  the 
legions,  to  the  number  of  sixty  thousand  men,  were  under 
orders  from  proconsular  Asia,  Egypt,  and  Europe.  The  most 
distinguished  captain  of  the  empire,  Vespasian,  was  called 
from  Britain  to  the  command,  and  the  whole  military  strength 
of  Rome  was  prepared  to  follow  up  the  blow. 

I  summoned  the  chief  men  of  the  tribe.  My  temperament 
was  warlike.  The  seclusion  and  studies  of  my  early  life  had 
but  partially  suppressed  my  natural  delight  in  the  vividness 
of  martial  achievement.  But  the  cause  that  now  summoned 
me  was  enough  to  have  kindled  the  dullest  peasant  into  the 
soldier.  I  had  seen  the  discipline  of  the  enemy ;  I  had  made 
myself  master  of  their  system  of  war.  Fortifications  wher- 

179 


Ebon  Gill  1F  Come 


Ubc  principles  ever  a  stone  could  be  piled  upon  a  hill ;  provisions  laid  up  in 
large  quantities  wherever  they  could  be  secured ;  small  bodies 
of  troops  practised  in  maneuver,  and  perpetually  in  motion 
between  the  fortresses ;  a  general  base  of  operations  to  which 
all  the  movements  referred — were  the  simple  principles  that 
had  made  them  conquerors  of  the  world.  I  resolved  to  give 
them  a  speedy  proof  of  my  pupilage. 


180 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

Preparing  for  an  Attack 

INDECISION  in  the  beginning  of  war  is  worse  than  war.  I  tibe  ibope 
decided  that  whatever  were  the  consequences,  the  sword  must 
be  unsheathed  without  delay.  With  Eleazar  and  Constantius, 
J  cast  my  eyes  over  the  map,  and  examined  on  what  point  the 
first  blow  should  fall.  The  proverbial  safety  of  a  multitude 
of  councilors  was  obviously  disregarded  in  the  smallness  of 
my  council ;  yet  few  as  we  were,  we  differed  upon  every  point 
but  one,  that  of  the  certainty  of  our  danger ;  the  promptitude 
of  Roman  vengeance  suffered  no  contest  of  opinion.  Eleazar, 
with  a  spirit  as  manly  as  ever,  faced  hazard,  yet  gave  his 
voice  for  delay. 

"The  sole  hope  of  success,"  said  he,  "must  depend  on  rous- 
ing the  popular  mind.  The  Roman  troops  are  not  to  be 
beaten  by  any  regular  army  in  the  world.  If  we  attack  them 
on  the  ordinary  principles  of  war,  the  result  can  only  be  de- 
feat, slaughter  in  dungeons,  and  deeper  slavery.  If  the  nation 
can  be  aroused,  numbers  may  prevail  over  discipline ;  variety 
of  attack  may  distract  science ;  the  desperate  boldness  of  the 
insurgents  may  at  length  exhaust  the  Roman  fortitude,  and  a 
glorious  peace  will  then  restore  the  country  to  that  independ- 
ence for  which  my  life  would  be  a  glad  and  ready  sacrifice. 
But  you  must  first  have  the  people  with  you,  and  for  that 
purpose  you  must  have  the  leaders  of  the  people " 

"  What !  "  interrupted  I,  "  must  we  first  mingle  in  the  ca- 
bals of  Jerusalem  and  rouse  the  frigid  debaters  of  the  Sanhe- 
drin  into  action?  Are  we  first  to  conciliate  the  irreconcilable, 
to  soften  the  furious,  to  purify  the  corrupt?  If  the  Romans 
are  to  be  our  tyrants  till  we  can  teach  patriotism  to  faction, 
we  may  as  well  build  the  dungeon  at  once,  for  to  the  dungeon 
we  are  consigned  for  the  longest  life  among  us.  Death  or 

181 


Catrg  Gbou  GUI  f  Come 


Saiatbid'0  glory  for  me.  There  is  no  alternative  between,  not  merely 
the  half  slavery  that  we  now  live  in,  and  independence,  but 
between  the  most  condign  suffering  and  the  most  illustrious 
security.  If  the  people  would  rise  through  the  pressure  of 
public  injury,  they  must  have  risen  long  since ;  if  from  private 
violence,  what  town,  what  district,  what  family  has  not  its 
claim  of  deadly  retribution?  Yet  here  the  people  stand,  after 
a  hundred  years  of  those  continued  stimulants  to  resistance,  as 
unresisting  as  in  the  day  when  Pompey  marched  over  the 
threshold  of  the  Temple.  I  know  your  generous  friendship, 
Eleazar,  and  fear  that  your  anxiety  to  save  me  from  the 
chances  of  the  struggle  may  bias  your  better  judgment.  But 
here  I  pledge  myself,  by  all  that  constitutes  the  honor  of  man, 
to  strike  at  all  risks  a  blow  upon  the  Roman  crest  that  shall 
echo  through  the  land.  What !  commit  our  holy  cause  in  the 
nursing  of  those  pampered  hypocrites  whose  utter  baseness  of 
heart  you  know  still  more  deeply  than  I  do?  Linger  till 
those  pestilent  profligates  raise  their  price  with  Florus  by 
betraying  a  design  that  will  be  the  glory  of  every  man  who 
draws  a  sword  in  it?  Vainly,  madly  ask  a  brood  that,  like 
the  serpent,  engender  and  ia'.ten  among  the  ruins  of  their 
country  to  discard  their  venom,  to  cast  their  fangs,  to  feel 
for  human  feelings?  As  well  ask  the  serpent  itself  to  rise 
from  the  original  curse.  It  is  the  irrevocable  nature  of  fac- 
tion to  be  base  until  it  can  be  mischievous ;  to  lick  the  dust 
until  it  can  sting ;  to  creep  on  its  belly  until  it  can  twist  its 
folds  around  the  victim.  No!  let  the  old  pensionaries,  the 
bloated  hangers-on  in  the  train  of  every  governor,  the  open 
sellers  of  their  country  for  filthy  lucre,  betray  me  when  I 
leave  it  in  their  power.  To  the  field,  I  say — once  and  for  all, 
to  the  field." 

My  mind,  at  no  period  patient  of  contradiction,  was  fevered 
by  the  perplexity  of  the  time.  I  was  about  to  leave  the  cham- 
ber when  Constantius  gravely  stopped  me. 

"My  father,"  said  he,  with  a  voice  calmer  than  his  coun- 
tenance, "you  have  hurt  our  noble  kinsman's  feelings.  It 
is  not  in  an  hour  when  our  unanimity  may  fail  that  we 
should  suffer  dissensions  between  those  whose  hearts  are 

182 


preparing  for  an  Bttacfc 


alike  embarked  in  this  great  cause.  Let  me  mediate  be- 
tween you." 

He  led  Eleazar  back  from  the  casement  to  which  he  had 
withdrawn  to  cool  his  blood,  burning  with  the  offense  of  iny 
language. 

"Eleazar  is  in  the  right.  The  Romans  are  irresistible  by 
any  force  short  of  the  whole  people.  They  have  military 
possession  of  the  country — all  your  fortresses,  all  your  posts, 
all  your  passes.  They  are  as  familiar  as  you  are  with  every 
defile,  mountain,  and  marsh;  they  surround  you  with  con- 
quered provinces  on  the  north,  east,  and  south ;  your  western 
barrier  is  open  to  them  while  it  is  shut  to  you ;  the  sea  is  the 
high-road  of  their  armies,  while  at  their  first  forbidding,  you 
dare  not  launch  a  galley  between  Libanus  and  Iduinea.  Noth- 
ing can  counterbalance  this  local  superiority  but  the  rising  of 
your  whole  people." 

"  Yet,  are  we  to  intrigue  with  the  talkers  in  Jerusalem  for 
this?  "  interrupted  I.  "  What  less  than  a  descended  thunder- 
bolt could  rouse  them  to  a  sense  that  there  is  even  a  heaven 
above  them?  " 

"  Still,  we  must  have  them  with  us, "  said  Constantius,  "  for 
we  must  have  all.  Universality  is  the  spirit  of  an  insurrection- 
ary war.  If  I  were  commander  of  a  revolt,  I  should  feel 
greater  confidence  of  success  at  the  head  of  a  single  province 
in  which  every  human  being  was  against  the  enemy,  than 
at  the  head  of  an  empire  partially  in  arms.  The  mind 
even  of  the  rudest  spearsman  is  a  great  portion  of  him. 
The  boldest  shrinks  from  the  consciousness  that  hostility  is 
on  all  sides;  that  whether  marching  or  at  rest,  watching 
or  sleeping,  by  night  or  by  day,  hostility  is  round  him ;  that 
it  is  in  the  very  air  he  breathes,  in  the  very  food  he  eats ;  that 
every  face  he  sees  is  the  face  of  one  who  wishes  him  slain ; 
that  every  knife,  even  every  trivial  instrument  of  human  use, 
may  be  turned  into  a  shedder  of  his  blood.  Those  things, 
perpetually  confronting  his  inind,  break  it  down  until  the 
man  grows  reckless,  miserable,  undisciplined,  and  a  dastard." 

"Yet,"  observed  Eleazar,  "the  constant  robbery  of  an  in- 
surrectionary war  must  render  it  a  favorite  command." 

i83 


Gbou  Gill  fl  Come 


constantfus  "Let  me  speak  from  experience,"  said  Constantius.  "Two 
a'c'ampal'ln  years  ago  I  was  attached,  with  a  squadron  of  galleys,  to  the 
expedition  against  the  tribes  of  Mount  Taurus.  While  the 
galleys  wintered  in  Cyprus,  I  followed  the  troops  up  the  hills. 
Nothing  had  been  omitted  that  would  counteract  the  severity 
of  the  season.  Tents,  provisions,  clothing  adapted  to  the 
hills,  even  luxuries  despatched  from  the  islands,  gave  the 
camps  almost  the  indulgences  of  cities.  The  physical  hard- 
ships of  the  campaign  were  trivial  compared  with  those  of 
hundreds  in  which  the  Romans  had  beaten  regular  armies. 
Yet  the  discontent  was  indescribable,  from  the  perpetual 
alarms  of  the  service.  The  mountaineers  were  not  numerous 
and  were  but  half  armed;  they  were  not  disciplined  at  all. 
A  Roman  centurion  would  have  outmaneuvered  all  their  cap- 
tains. But  they  were  brave ;  they  knew  nothing  but  to  kill 
or  be  killed,  and  it  made  no  difference  to  them  whether  Death 
did  his  work  by  night  or  by  day.  Sleep  to  us  was  scarcely 
possible.  To  sit  down  on  a  march  was  to  be  leveled  at  by  a 
score  of  arrows ;  to  pursue  the  archers  was  to  be  lured  into 
some  hollow,  where  a  fragment  of  the  rock  above  or  a  felled 
tree,  was  ready  to  crush  the  legionaries.  We  chased  them 
from  hill  to  hill ;  we  might  as  well  have  chased  the  vultures 
and  eagles  that  duly  followed  us,  with  the  perfect  certainty 
of  not  being  disappointed  of  their  meal.  Wherever  the  enemy 
showed  themselves  they  were  beaten,  but  our  victory  was  to- 
tally fruitless.  The  next  turn  of  the  mountain  road  was  a 
stronghold,  from  which  we  had  to  expect  a  new  storm  of  ar- 
rows, lances,  and  fragments  of  rock. 

"The  mountaineers  always  had  a  retreat,"  he  continued, 
"  If  we  drove  them  from  the  pinnacles  of  the  hills,  they  were 
in  a  moment  in  the  valleys,  where  we  must  follow  them  at  the 
risk  of  falling  down  precipices  and  being  swallowed  up  by  tor- 
rents, in  which  the  strongest  swimmer  in  the  legions  could  not 
live  for  a  moment.  If  we  drove  them  from  the  valleys,  we  saw 
them  scaling  the  mountains  as  if  they  had  wings,  and  scoffing  at 
our  tardy  and  helpless  movements,  encumbered  as  we  were  with 
baggage  and  armor.  We  at  length  forced  our  way  through 
the  mountain  range,  and  when  with  the  loss  of  half  the  army 

184 


preparing  for  an  attack 


we  had  reached  their  citadel,  we  found  that  the  work  was  to  ibe  force  of 
be  begun  again.  To  remain  where  we  were  was  to  be  starved; 
Ave  had  defeated  the  barbarians,  but  they  were  as  unconquered 
as  ever,  and  our  only  resource  was  to  retrace  our  steps,  which 
we  did  at  the  expense  of  a  battle  every  morning,  noon, 
evening,  and  night,  with  a  ruinous  loss  of  life  and  the  total 
abandonment  of  everything  in  the  shape  of  baggage.  The 
defeat  was  of  course  hushed  up,  and  according  to  the  old 
Roman  policy,  the  escape  was  colored  to  a  victory ;  I  had  the 
honor  of  carrying  back  the  general  into  Italy,  where  he  was 
decreed  an  ovation,  a  laurel  crown,  and  a  crowd  of  the  usual 
distinctions;  but  the  triumph  belonged  to  the  men  of  the 
mountains,  and  until  our  campaign  is  forgotten,  no  Roman 
captain  will  look  for  his  laurels  in  Mount  Taurus  again  " 

"  Such  forever  be  the  fate  of  wars  against  the  natural  free- 
dom of  the  brave,"  said  I;  "but  the  Cicilians  had  the  advan- 
tage of  an  almost  impenetrable  country.  Three-fourths  of 
Judea  is  already  in  the  enemy's  possession." 

"  No  country  in  which  man  can  exist  can  be  impenetrable  to 
an  invading  army,"  was  the  reply.  "Natural  defenses  are 
trifling  before  the  vigor  and  dexterity  of  man.  The  true  bar- 
rier is  in  the  hearts  of  the  defenders.  We  were  masters  of 
the  whole  range.  We  could  not  find  a  thousand  men  assem- 
bled on  any  one  point.  Yet  we  were  not  the  actual  possessors 
of  a  mile  of  ground  beyond  the  square  of  our  camp.  We 
never  saw  a  day  without  an  attack,  nor  ever  lay  down  at  night 
without  the  certainty  of  some  fierce  attempt  at  a  surprise.  It 
was  this  perpetual  anxiety  that  broke  the  spirits  of  the  troops. 
All  was  in  hostility  to  them.  They  felt  that  there  was  not  a 
secure  spot  within  the  horizon.  Every  man  whom  they  saw, 
they  knew  to  be  one  who  either  had  drawn  Roman  blood  or 
who  longed  in  his  inmost  soul  to  draw  it.  They  dared  not 
pass  by  a  single  rock  without  a  search  for  a  lurking  enemy. 
Even  a  felled  tree  might'  conceal  some  daring  savage,  who  was 
content  to  die  on  the  Roman  spears,  after  having  flung  his 
unerring  lance  among  the  ranks  or  shot  an  arrow  that  went 
through  the  thickest  corslet.  I  have  seen  the  boldest  of  the 
legionaries  sink  on  the  ground  in  absolute  exhaustion  of  heart 

185 


ttbou  GUI  f  Come 


Saiatbiera  with  this  hopeless  and  wearying  warfare.  I  have  seen  men 
©ctcrmina  on  w^n  muscies  ^  strong  as  iron  weep  like  children  through 
mere  depression.  With  the  harsher  spirits,  all  was  execration 
and  bitterness,  even  to  the  verge  of  mutiny.  With  the  more 
generous  all  was  regret  at  the  waste  of  honor,  mingled  with 
involuntary  admiration  of  the  barbarians  who  thus  defied  the 
haughty  courage  and  boasted  discipline  of  the  conquerors  of 
mankind.  The  secret  spring  of  their  resistance  was  its  uni- 
versality. Every  man  was  embarked  in  the  common  cause. 
There  was  no  room  for  evasion  under  cover  of  a  party  dis- 
posed to  peace ;  there  was  no  Roman  interest  among  the  peo- 
ple, in  which  timidity  or  selfishness  could  take  refuge.  The 
national  cause  had  not  a  lukewarm  friend ;  the  invaders  had 
not  a  dubious  enemy.  The  line  was  drawn  with  the  sword, 
and  the  cause  of  national  independence  triumphed,  as  it  ought 
to  triumph." 

"  But  we  are  a  people  split  into  as  many  varieties  of  opinion 
as  there  are  provinces  or  even  villages  in  Judea,"  observed 
Eleazar ;  "  the  Jew  loves  to  follow  the  opinions  of  the  head 
of  his  family,  the  chief  man  of  his  tribe,  or  even  of  the  priest, 
who  has  long  exercised  an  influence  over  his  district.  We 
have  not  the  slavishness  of  the  Asiatic,  but  we  still  want  the 
personal  choice  of  the  European.  We  must  secure  the  lead- 
ers, if  we  would  secure  the  people." 

"Men,"  said  Constantius,  "are  intrinsically  the  same  in 
every  climate  under  heaven.  They  will  all  hate  hazard,  where 
nothing  but  hazard  is  to  be  gained.  They  will  all  linger  for 
ages  in  slavery,  where  the  taskmaster  has  the  policy  to  avoid 
sudden  violence;  but  they  will  all  encounter  the  severest 
trials,  where  in  the  hour  of  injury  they  find  a  leader  prepared 
to  guide  them  to  honor." 

"  And  to  that  extent  they  shall  have  trial  of  me ! "  I  ex- 
claimed. "  Before  another  Sabbath  I  shall  make  the  experi- 
ment of  my  fitness  to  be  the  leader  of  my  countrymen.  At  the 
head  of  my  own  tribe  I  will  march  to  the  Holy  City,  seize  the 
garrison,  and  from  Herod's  palace,  from  the  very  chair  of 
the  Procurator,  will  I  at  once  silence  the  voice  of  faction  and 
lift  the  banner  to  the  tribes  of  Israel." 

186 


preparing  for  an  attack 


"Nobly   conceived,"    said     Constantius,   his     countenance Ubc strongbote 
glowing  with  animation ;  "  blow  upon  blow  is  the  true  tactic     of  /fta8aBa 
of  an  insurrectionary  war.     We  must  strike  at  once,  suddenly, 
and  boldly.     The  sword  of  him  who  would  triumph  in  a  re- 
volt must  not  merely  sound  on  the  enemy's  helmet,  but  cut 
through  it." 

"Yet  to  a  march  on  Jerusalem,"  said  Eleazar,  "the  objec- 
tions are  palpable.  The  city  would  be  out  of  all  hope  of  a 
surprise,  difficult  to  capture,  and  beyond  all  chance  to  keep." 

"  Ever  tardy,  thwarting,  and  contradictory !  "  I  exclaimed ; 
"  if  the  Roman  scepter  lay  under  my  heel,  I  should  find  Elea- 
zar forbidding  me  to  crush  it.  My  mind  is  fixed;  I  will  hear 
no  more." 

I  started  from  my  seat  and  paced  the  chamber.  Eleazar 
approached  me. 

"  My  brother,"  said  he,  holding  out  his  hand  with  a  for- 
giving smile,  "we  must  not  differ.  I  honor  your  heart, 
Salathiel ;  I  know  your  talents ;  there  is  not  a  man  in  Judea 
whom  I  should  be  prouder  to  see  at  the  head  of  its  councils. 
I  agree  with  you  in  your  views,  and  now  I  offer  you  myself 
and  every  man  whom.  I  can  influence  to  follow  you  to  the 
last  extremity.  The  only  question  is,  where  the  blow  is  to 
fall." 

Constantius  had  been  gazing  on  the  chart  of  Judea,  which 
lay  between  us  on  the  table. 

"If  it  be  our  object,"  said  he,  "to  combine  injury  to  the 
Eomans  with  actual  advantage  to  ourselves,  to  make  a  trial 
where  failure  can  not  be  ruinous  and  where  success  may  be 
of  measureless  value,  here  is  the  -spot."  He  pointed  to 
Masada.31 

The  fortress  of  Masada  was  built  by  Herod  the  Great  as 
his  principal  magazine  of  arms.  A  fierce  and  successful  sol- 
dier, one  of  his  luxuries  was  the  variety  and  costliness  of  his 
weapons,  and  the  royal  armory  of  Masada  was  renowned 
throughout  Asia.  Pride  in  the  possession  of  such  a  trophy, 
probably  aided  by  some  reverence  for  the  memory  of  the  friend 
of  Csesar  and  Antony,  whom  the  legions  still  almost  wor- 
shiped as  tutelar  genii,  originally  saved  it  from  the  usual 

187 


Gbou  GUI  f  Come 


•Cbc  Roman  spoliation.  But  no  native  foot  was  permitted  to  enter 
prtparat  one  ^^  armory,  and  mysterious  stories  of  the  sights  and  sounds  of 
those  splendid  halls  tilled  the  ears  of  the  people.  Masada 
was  held  to  be  the  talisman  of  the  Roman  power  over  Judea 
by  more  than  the  people ;  the  belief  had  made  its  way  among 
the  legions,  and  no  capture  could  be  a  bolder  omen  of  the  war. 
I  still  preferred  the  more  direct  blow  on  Jerusalem,  and 
declaimed  on  the  vital  importance  in  all  wars,  of  seizing  on 
the  capital.  But  I  was  controlled.  Eleazar's  grave  wisdom 
and  the  science  of  Constantius  deprived  me  of  argument,  and 
the  attack  on  Masada  was  finally  planned  before  we  left  the 
chamber.  Nothing  could  be  more  primitive  than  our  plan  for 
the  siege  of  the  most  scientific  fortification  in  Judea,  crowded 
with  men  and  furnished  with  every  implement  and  machine 
of  war  that  Roman  experience  could  supply.  Our  simple 
preparations  were  a  few  ropes  for  ladders,  a  few  hatchets  for 
cutting  down  gates  and  palisadoes,  and  a  few  faggots  for  set- 
ting on  fire  what  we  could.  Five  hundred  of  our  tribe,  who 
had  never  thrown  a  lance  but  in  hunting,  formed  our  expedi- 
tion, and  at  the  head  of  those,  Constantius,  who  claimed  the 
exploit  by  the  right  of  discovery,  was  to  march  at  dusk,  con- 
ceal himself  in  the  forests  during  the  day,  and  on  the  evening 
of  his  arrival  within  reach  of  the  fortress  attempt  it  by  sur- 
prise. Eleazar  was,  in  the  mean  time,  to  rouse  his  retainers, 
and  I  was  to  await  at  their  head  the  result  of  the  enterprise, 
and  if  successful,  unfurl  the  standard  of  Naphtali  and  ad- 
rance  on  Jerusalem. 


188 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

The  Departure  of  Constantius 

THE  remainder  of  this  memorable  day  lingered  on  with  a 
tardiness  beyond  description.  The  criminal  who  counts  the 
watches  of  the  night  before  his  execution  has  but  a  faint  im- 
age of  that  hot  and  yet  pining  anxiety,  that  loathing  of  all 
things  unconnected  with  the  one  mighty  event,  that  mixture 
of  hopelessness  and  hope,  that  morbid  nervousness  of  every 
fiber  in  his  frame,  which  make  up  the  suspense  of  the  con- 
spirator in  even  the  noblest  cause. 

When  the  hour  of  banquet  came,  I  sat  down  in  the  midst  of 
magnificence,  as  was  the  custom  of  my  rank.  The  table  was 
filled  with  guests ;  all  around  me  was  gaiety  and  pomp,  high- 
born men,  handsome  women,  richly  attired  attendants ;  plate, 
the  work  of  Tyrian  and  Greek  artists,  in  its  massive  beauty ; 
walls  covered  with  tissues;  music  filling  the  air  cooled  by 
fountains  of  perfumed  waters.  I  felt  as  little  of  them  as  if 
I  were  in  the  wilderness.  The  richest  wines,  the  most  deli- 
cate fruits,  palled  on  my  taste.  If  I  had  one  wish,  it  was 
that  for  the  next  forty-eight  hours  oblivion  might  amount  to 
insensibility !  At  my  wife  and  daughters  I  ventured  but  one 
glance.  I  thought  that  I  had  never  before  seen  them  look  so 
fitted  to  adorn  their  rank,  to  be  the  models  of  grace,  loveli- 
ness, and  honor,  to  society,  and  the  thought  smote  my  heart 
— how  soon  may  all  this  be  changed ! 

My  eyes  sought  Constantius ;  he  had  just  returned  from  his 
preparations,  and  came  in  glowing  with  the  enthusiasm  of  the 
soldier.  He  sat  down  beside  Salome,  and  his  cheek  gradu- 
ally turned  to  the  hue  of  death.  He  sat  like  myself,  absorbed 
in  frequent  reverie,  and  to  the  playful  solicitations  of  Salome 
that  he  would  indulge  in  the  table  after  his  fatigue,  he  gave 
forced  smiles  and  broken  answers.  The  future  was  plainly 

189 


TTbou  GUI  f  Come 


busy  with  us  both ;  with  all  that  the  heart  of  man  could  love 
beside  him,  he  felt  the  pang  of  contrast,  and  when  on  acci- 
dentally lifting  his  eyes,  they  met  mine,  the  single  conscious 
look  interchanged  told  the  perturbation  that  preyed  on  both 
in  the  heart's  core. 

I  soon  rose,  and  under  pretense  of  having  letters  to  de- 
spatch to  our  friends  in  Kome,  retired  to  my  chamber.  There 
lay  the  chart  still  on  the  table,  the  route  to  Masada  marked 
by  pencil  lines.  With  what  breathlessness  I  now  traced 
every  point  and  bearing  of  it!  There,  within  a  space  over 
which  I  could  stretch  my  arm,  was  my  world.  In  that  little 
boundary  was  I  to  struggle  against  the  supremacy  that  cov- 
ered the  earth !  Those  fairy  hills,  those  scarcely  visible  rivers, 
those  remote  cities,  dots  of  human  habitation,  were  to  be 
henceforth  the  places  of  siege  and  battle,  memorable  for  the 
destruction  of  human  life,  engrossing  every  energy  of  myself 
and  my  countrymen,  and  big  with  the  fates  of  generations  on 
generations. 

It  was  dusk,  and  I  was  still  devouring  with  my  eyes  this 
chart  of  prophecy  when  Constantius  entered. 

"I  have  come,"  said  he  gravely,  "to.  bid  you  farewell 
for  the  night.  In  two  days  I  hope  we  shall  all  meet  again." 

"No,  my  brave  son,"  I  interrupted,  "we  do  not  leave  each 
other  to-night." 

He  looked  surprised.  "  I  must  be  gone  this  instant.  Elea- 
zar  has  done  his  part  with  the  activity  of  his  honest  and 
manly  mind.  Two  miles  off,  in  the  valley  under  the  date- 
grove,  I  have  left  five  hundred  of  the  finest  fellows  that  ever 
sat  a  charger.  In  half  an  hour  Sirius  rises ;  then  we  go,  and 
let  the  governor  of  Masada  look  to  it!  Farewell,  and  wish 
me  good  fortune." 

"  May  every  angel  that  protects  the  righteous  cause  hover 
above  your  head !  "  I  exclaimed ;  "  but  no  farewell,  for  we  go 
together. " 

"Do  you  doubt  my  conduct  of  the  enterprise?"  asked 
he  strongly.  "  'Tis  true  I  have  been  in  the  Roman  service, 
but  that  service  I  hated  from  the  bottom  of  my  soul.  I  was 
a  Greek  and  bound  to  Kome  no  longer  than  she  could  hold  me 

190 


Departure  of  Gonstanttus 


in  her  chain.  If  I  could  have  found  men  to  follow  me,  I  Constantfus 
should  have  done  in  Cyprus  what  I  now  do  in  Judea.  The 
countryman  of  Leonidas,  Cimon,  and  Timeleon  was  not  born 
to  hug  his  slavery.  I  am.  now  a  son  of  Judea ;  to  her  my 
affections  have  been  transplanted,  and  to  her,  if  she  does  not 
reject  me,  shall  my  means  and  my  life  be  given." 

He  relaxed  the  belt  from  his  waist  and  dropped  it  with 
his  simitar  on  the  ground.  I  lifted  it  and  placed  it  again  in 
his  hand. 

"No,  Constantius, "  I  replied,  "I  honor  your  zeal,  and 
would  confide  in  you  if  the  world  hung  upon  the  balance. 
But  I  can  not  bear  the  thought  of  lingering  here  while  you  are 
in  the  field.  My  mind,  within  these  few  hours,  has  been  on 
the  rack.  I  must  take  the  chances  with  you." 

"It  is  utterly  impossible,"  was  his  firm  answer;  "your 
absence  would  excite  instant  suspicion.  The  Roman  spies  are 
everywhere.  The  natural  result  follows,  that  our  march 
would  be  intercepted,  and  I  am  not  sure  but  that  even  now 
we  may  be  too  late.  That  inconceivable  sagacity  by  which 
the  Komans  seem  to  be  masters  of  every  man's  secret  has 
been  already  at  work ;  troops  were  seen  on  the  route  to  Ma- 
sada  this  very  day.  Let  it  be  known  that  the  prince  of 
Naphtali  has  left  his  palace,  and  the  dozen  squadrons  of  Thra- 
cian  horse  which  I  saw  within  those  four  days  at  Tiberias  will 
be  riding  through  your  domains  before  the  next  sunset." 

This  reflection  checked  me.  "Well  then,"  said  I,  "go,  and 
the  protection  of  Him  whose  pillar  of  cloud  led  His  people 
through  the  sea  and  through  the  desert  be  your  light  in  the 
hour  of  peril !  " 

I  pressed  his  hand ;  he  turned  to  depart,  but  came  back,  and 
after  a  slight  hesitation  said :  "  If  Salome  had  once  offended 
her  noble  father  by  her  flight,  the  offense  was  mine.  Forgive 
her,  for  her  heart  is  still  the  heart  of  your  child.  She  loves 
you.  If  I  fall,  let  the  memory  of  our  disobedience  lie  in  my 
grave ! " 

His  voice  stopped,  and  mine  could  not  break  the  silence. 

"Let  what  will  come,"  resumed  he  with  an  effort,  "tell 
Salome  that  the  last  word  on  my  lips  was  her  name." 

191 


ttarrg  Cbou  Gill  f  Gome 


bc  jfcstai  He  left  the  chamber,  and  I  felt  as  if  a  portion  of  iny  being 
had  gone  forth  from  me. 

This  day  was  one  of  the  many  festivals  of  our  country,  and 
my  halls  echoed  with  sounds  of  enjoyment.  The  immense 
gardens  glittered  with  illumination  in  all  the  graceful  devices 
of  which  our  people  were  such  masters,  and  when  I  looked 
out  for  the  path  of  Constantius,  I  was  absolutely  pained  by 
the  sight  of  so  much  fantastic  pleasure  while  my  hero  was 
pursuing  his  way  through  darkness  and  danger. 

At  length  the  festival  was  over.  The  lights  twinkled, 
fainter  among  the  arbors,  the  sounds  of  glad  voices  sank,  and  1 
saw  from  my  casement  the  evidences  of  departure  in  the  trains 
of  torches  that  moved  up  the  surrounding  hills.  The  sight  of 
a  starlit  sky  has  always  been  to  me  among  the  softest  and 
surest  healers  of  the  heart,  and  I  gazed  upon  that  mighty 
scene  which  throws  all  human  cares  into  such  littleness,  until 
my  composure  returned. 

The  last  of  the  guests  had  left  the  palace  before  I  ventured 
to  descend.  The  vases  of  perfumes  still  breathed  in  the  hall 
of  the  banquet ;  the  alabaster  lamps  were  still  burning ;  but 
excepting  the  attendants  who  waited  on  my  steps  at  a  dis- 
tance, and  whose  fixed  figures  might  have  been  taken  for  stat- 
ues, there  was  not  a  living  being  near  me  of  the  laughing  and 
joyous  crowd  that  had  so  lately  glittered,  danced,  and  smiled 
within  those  sumptuous  walls.  Yet  what  was  this  but  a  pic- 
ture of  the  common  rotation  of  life?  Or  by  a  yet  more  im- 
mediate moral,  what  was  it  but  a  picture  of  the  desertion  that 
might  be  coming  upon  me  and  mine?  I  sat  down  to  extin- 
guish my  sullen  philosophy  in  wine.  But  no  draft  that 
ever  passed  the  lip  could  extinguish  the  fever  that  brooded  on 
my  spirit.  I  dreaded  that  the  presence  of  my  family  might 
force  out  my  secret,  and  lingered  with  my  eyes  gazing,  with- 
out sight,  on  the  costly  covering  of  the  board. 

A  sound  of  music  from  an  inner  hall  to  which  Miriam  and 
her  daughters  had  retired,  aroused  me.  I  stood  at  the  door, 
gazing  on  the  group  within.  The  music  was  a  hymn  with 
which  they  closed  the  customary  devotions  of  the  day.  But 
there  was  something  in  its  sound  to  me  that  I  had  never  felt 

192 


tlbe  Departure  of  Conetantfus 


before.     At  the  moment  when  those  sweet  voices  were  pour-   H  Beautiful 
ing  out  the  gratitude  of  hearts  as  innocent  and  glowing  as  the          roup 
hearts  of  angels,  a  scene  of  horror  might  be  acting.     The  hus- 
band of  Salorie  might  be  struggling  Avith  the  Roman  sword ; 
nay,  he  might  be  lying  a  corpse  under  the  feet  of  the  cavalry, 
that  before  morn  might  bring  the  news  of  his  destruction  in 
the  flames  th.it  might    startle  us  from  our  sleep,   and   the 
swords  that  might  pierce  our  bosoms. 

And  Avhat  beings  were  those  thus  appointed  for  the  sacri- 
fice? The  lapse  of  even  a  few  years  had  perfected  the  natu- 
ral beauty  of  my  daughters.  Salome's  sparkling  eye  was 
more  brilliant ;  her  graceful  form  was  molded  into  more  easy 
elegance,  and  her  laughing  lip  was  wreathed  with  a  more  play- 
ful smile.  Never  did  I  see  a  creature  of  deeper  witchery. 
My  Esther,  my  noble  and  dear  Esther,  who  was  perhaps  the 
dearer  to  me  from  her  inheriting  a  tinge  of  my  melancholy, 
yet  a  melancholy  exalted  by  genius  into  a  charm,  was  this 
night  the  leader  of  the  song  of  holiness.  Her  large  uplifted 
eye  glowed  with  the  brightness  of  one  of  the  stars  on  which 
it  was  fixed.  Her  hands  fell  on  the  harp  in  almost  the  atti- 
tude of  prayer,  and  the  expression  of  her  lofty  and  intellectual 
countenance,  crimsoned  with  the  theme,  told  of  a  communion 
with  thoughts  and  beings  above  mortality.  The  hymn  was 
done,  the  voices  had  ceased,  yet  the  inspiration  still  burned 
in  her  soul ;  her  hands  still  shook  from  the  chords'  harmonies, 
sweet,  but  of  the  wildest  and  boldest  brilliancy ;  bursts  and 
flights  of  sound,  like  the  rushing  of  the  distant  waterfall  at 
night,  or  the  strange,  solemn  echoes  of  the  forest  in  the  first 
swell  of  the  storm. 

Miriam  and  Salome  sat  beholding  her  in  silent  admiration 
and  love.  The  magnificent  dress  of  the  Jewish  female 
could  not  heighten  the  power  of  such  beauty;  but  it  filled 
up  the  picture.  The  jeweled  tiaras,  the  embroidered  shawls, 
the  high-wrought  and  massive  armlets,  the  silken  robes 
and  sashes  fringed  with  pearl  and  diamond,  the  profusion 
of  dazzling  ornament  that  form  the  Oriental  costume  to 
this  day,  were  the  true  habits  of  the  beings  that  then  sat,  un- 
conscious of  the  delighted  yet  anxious  eye  that  drank  in  the 

13  193 


Ebon  CHI  f  Come 


•Cbe  fate  of  joy  of  their  presence.  I  saw  before  me  the  pomp  of  prince- 
doms, investing  forms  worthy  of  thrones. 

My  entrance  broke  off  the  harper's  spell,  and  I  found  it  a 
hard  task  to  answer  the  touching  congratulations  that  flowed 
upon  me.  But  the  hour  waned,  and  I  was  again  left  alone 
for  the  few  minutes  which  it  was  my  custom  to  give  to  medi- 
tation before  I  retired  to  rest.  I  threw  open  the  door  that 
led  into  a  garden  thick  with  the  Persian  rose  and  filling 
the  air  with  cool  fragrance.  At  my  first  glance  upward,  I  saw 
Sirius — he  was  on  the  verge  of  the  horizon. 

The  thoughts  of  the  day  again  gathered  over  my  soul.  I 
idly  combined  the  fate  of  Constantius  with  the  decline 
of  the  star  that  he  had  taken  for  his  signal.  My  senses  lost 
their  truth,  or  contributed  to  deceive  me.  I  fancied  that  I  heard 
sounds  of  conflict ;  the  echo  of  horses'  feet  rang  in  my  ears. 
A  meteor  that  slowly  sailed  across  the  sky  struck  me  as  a 
supernatural  summons.  My  brain,  fearfully  excitable  since 
my  great  misfortune,  at  length  kindled  up  such  strong  realities 
that  I  found  myself  on  the  point  of  betraying  the  burden  of 
my  spirit  by  some  palpable  disclosure. 

Twice  had  I  reached  the  door  of  Miriam's  chamber  to  tell 
her  my  whole  perplexity.  But  I  heard  the  voice  of  her  at- 
tendants within  and  again  shrank  from  the  tale.  I  ranged  the 
long  galleries  perplexed  Avith  capricious  and  strange  torments 
of  the  imagination. 

"If  he  should  fall,"  said  I,  "how  shall  I  atone  for  the  cru- 
elty of  sending  him  upon  a  service  of  such  hopeless  hazard — 
a  few  peasants  with  naked  breasts  against  Roman  battlements? 
What  soldier  would  not  ridicule  my  folly  in  hoping  success ; 
what  man  would  not  charge  me  with  scorn  of  the  life  of  my 
kindred?  The  blood  of  my  tribe  will  be  upon  my  head  for- 
ever. There  sinks  the  prince  of  Naphtali !  In  the  grave  of 
my  gallant  son  and  his  companions  is  buried  my  dream  of 
martial  honor ;  the  sword  that  strikes  him  cuts  to  the  ground 
my  last  ambition  of  delivering  my  country." 

The  advice  of  Constantius  returned  to  my  mind,  but  like  the 
meeting  of  two  tides,  it  was  only  to  increase  the  tumult  within. 
I  felt  the  floor  shake  under  my  hurried  tread.  I  smote  my 

194 


departure  of  Constantiue 


forehead — it  was  covered  with  drops  of  agony.     The  voices      rtMrtam's 
within  my  wife's  chamber  had  ceased.     But  was  I  to  rouse  her 
from  her  sleep,  perhaps  the  last  quiet  sleep  that  she  was  ever 
to  take,  only  to  hear  intelligence  that  must  make  her  miserable? 

I  leaned  my  throbbing  forehead  upon  one  of  the  marble 
tables,  as  if  to  imbibe  coolness  from  the  stone.  I  felt  a  light 
hand  upon  mine.  Miriam  stood  beside  me. 

"  Salathiel !  "  pronounced  she  in  an  unshaken  voice,  "  there 
is  something  painful  on  your  mind.  Whether  it  be  only  a 
duty  on  your  part  to  disclose  it  to  me,  I  shall  not  say ;  but  if 
you  think  me  fit  to  share  your  happier  hours,  must  I  have  the 
humiliation  of  feeling  that  I  am  to  be  excluded  from  your  con- 
fidence in  the  day  when  those  hours  may  be  darkened?  " 

I  was  silent,  for  to  speak  was  beyond  my  strength,  but  I 
pressed  her  delicate  fingers  to  my  bosom. 

"Misfortune,  my  dear  husband,"  resumed  she,  "is  trivial 
but  when  it  reaches  the  mind.  Oh,  rather  let  me  encounter 
it  in  the  bitterest  privations  of  poverty  and  exile ;  rather  let 
me  be  a  nameless  outcast  to  the  latest  year  I  have  to  live,  than 
feel  the  bitterness  of  being  forgotten  by  the  heart  to  which, 
come  life  or  death,  mine  is  bound  forever  and  ever." 

I  glanced  up  at  her.  Tears  dropped  on  her  cheeks,  but  her 
voice  was  firm. 

"I  have  observed  you,"  said  she,  "in  deep  agitation  during 
the  day,  but  I  forbore  to  press  you  for  the  cause.  I  have  lis- 
tened now,  till  long  past  midnight,  to  the  sound  of  your  feet, 
to  the  sound  of  groans  and  pangs  wrung  from  your  bosom ; 
nay,  to  exclamations  and  broken  sentences  which  have  let  me 
most  involuntarily  into  the  knowledge  that  this  disturbance 
arises  from  the  state  of  our  country.  I  know  your  noble  na- 
ture, and  I  say  to  you,  in  this  solemn  and  sacred  hour  of 
danger,  follow  the  guidance  of  that  noble  nature." 

I  cast  my  arms  about  her  neck  and  imprinted  upon  her  lips 
a  kiss  as  true  as  ever  came  from  human  love.  She  had  taken 
a  weight  from  my  soul.  I  detailed  the  whole  design  to  her. 
She  listened  with  many  a  change  from  red  to  pale,  and 
many  a  tremor  of  the  white  hand  that  lay  in  mine.  When  I 
ceased,  the  woman  in  her  broke  forth  in  tears  and  sighs. 

195 


Carrg  abou  Sill  f  Come 


©o,  prince  of  "Yet,"  said  she,  "  you  must  go  to  the  field.  Dismiss  the 
thought  that  for  the  selfish  desire  of  looking  even  upon  you 
in  safety  here  I  should  hazard  the  dearer  honor  of  iny  lord. 
It  is  right  that  Judea  should  make  the  attempt  to  shake  off 
her  tyranny.  The  people  can  never  be  deceived  in  their  own 
cause.  Kings  and  courts  may  be  deluded  into  the  choice  of 
incapacity,  but  the  man  whom  a  people  will  follow  from  their 
firesides  must  bear  the  stamp  of  a  leader." 

"  Admirable  being !  "  I  exclaimed,  "  worthy  to  be  honored 
while  Israel  has  a  name !  Then  I  have  your  consent  to  fol- 
low Constantius.  By  speed  I  may  reach  him  before  he  can 
have  arrived  at  the  object  of  the  enterprise.  Farewell,  my 
best-beloved — farewell!  " 

She  fell  into  my  arms  in  a  passion  of  tears,  but  at  length 
recovered  and  said : 

"  This  is  weakness,  the  mere  weakness  of  surprise.  Yes ; 
go,  prince  of  Naphtali.  No  man  must  take  the  glory  from 
you.  Constantius  is  a  hero,  but  you  must  be  a  king,  and  more 
than  a  king ;  not  the  straggler  for  the  glories  of  royalty,  but 
for  the  glories  of  the  rescuer  of  the  people  of  God.  The 
first  blow  of  the  war  must  not  be  given  by  another,  dear  as 
he  is.  The  first  triumph,  the  whole  triumph,  must  be  my 
lord's." 

She  knelt  down  and  poured  out  her  soul  to  Heaven  in  elo- 
quent supplication  for  my  safety.  I  listened  in  speechless 
homage. 

"Now  go,"  sighed  she,  "and  remember  in  the  day  of  battle 
who  will  then  be  in  prayer  for  you.  Court  no  unnecessary 
peril,  for  if  you  perish,  which  of  us  would  desire  to  live?  " 

She  again  sank  upon  her  knees,  and  I  in  reverent  silence 
descended  from  the  gallery. 


196 


CHAPTER  XXV 

Salathiel  in  Strange  Company 

MY  preparations  were  quickly  made.  I  divested  myself  of 
my  robes,  led  out  my  favorite  barb,  fluiig  a  haik  over  my 
shoulders,  and  by  the  help  of  my  Arab  turban  might  have 
passed  for  a- plunderer  in  any  corner  of  Syria.  This  was  done 
unseen  by  any  eye,  for  the  crowd  of  attendants  that  thronged 
the  palace  in  the  day  were  now  stretched  through  the  courts, 
or  on  the  terraces,  fast  asleep,  under  the  double  influence  of  a 
day  of  feasting  and  a  night  of  tepid  summer  air.  I  rode  with- 
out stopping  until  the  sun  began  to  throw  up  his  yellow  rays 
through  the  vapors  of  the  Lake  of  Tiberias.  Then  to  ascer- 
tain alike  the  progress  of  Constantius  and  to  avoid  the  chances 
of  meeting  with  some  of  those  Roman  squadrons  which  were 
continually  moving  between  the  fortresses,  I  struck  off  the 
road  into  a  forest,  tied  my  barb  to  a  tree,  and  set  forth  to 
reconnoiter  the  scene. 

Traveling  on  foot  was  the  common  mode  in  a  country 
which,  like  Judea,  was  but  little  fitted  for  the  breed  of  horses, 
and  I  found  no  want  of  companions.  Pedlers,  peasants,  dis- 
banded soldiers,  and  probably  thieves  diversified  my  knowl- 
edge of  mankind  Avithin  a  few  miles.  I  escaped  under  the 
sneer  of  the  soldier  and  the  compassion  of  the  peasant.  The 
first  glance  at  my  wardrobe  satisfied  the  robber  that  I  was  not 
worth  the  exercise  of  his  profession,  or  perhaps  that  I  was  a 
brother  of  the  trade.  I  here  found  none  of  the  repulsiveness 
that  makes  the  intercourse  of  higher  life  so  unproductive. 
Confidence  was  on  every  tongue,  and  I  discovered,  even  in 
the  sandy  ways  of  Palestine,  that  to  be  a  judicious  listener  is 
one  of  the  first  talents  for  popularity  all  over  the  world.  But 
of  my  peculiar  objects  I  could  learn  nothing,  though  every 
man  whom  I  met  had  some  story  of  the  Romans.  I  ascer- 

197 


Gbou  Gill  1  Come 


SaiatbieiflDeets  tained,  to  my  surprise,  that  the  intelligence  which  Septimius 
strangers  brought  frOm  the  imperial  cabinet  was  known  to  the  multi- 
tude. Every  voice  of  the  populace  was  full  of  tales,  probably 
reckoned  among  the  profoundest  secrets  of  the  state.  I  have 
made  the  same  observation  in  later  eras,  and  found,  even  in 
the  most  formal  mysteries  of  the  most  frowning  governments, 
the  rumor  of  the  streets  outruns  the  cabinets.  So  it  must  be 
while  diplomatists  have  tongues  and  while  women  and  domes- 
tics have  curiosity. 

But  if  I  were  to  rely  on  the  accuracy  of  those  willing  poli- 
ticians, the  cause  of  independence  was  without  hope.  Human 
nature  loves  to  make  itself  important,  and  the  narrator  of  the 
marvelous  is  always  great,  according  to  the  distention  of  his 
news.  Those  who  had  seen  a  cohort,  invariably  magnified  it 
into  a  legion ;  a  troop  of  cavalry  covered  half  a  province ;  and 
the  cohorts  marching  from  Asia  Minor  and  Egypt  for  our  gar- 
risons, were  reckoned  by  the  very  largest  enumeration  within 
the  teller's  capacity. 

As  I  was  sitting  by  a  rivulet,  moistening  some  of  the  com- 
mon bread  of  the  country  which  I  had  brought  to  aid  my  dis- 
guise, 1  entered  into  conversation  with  one  of  those  unhoused 
exiles  of  society  whom  at  the  first  glance  we  discern  to  be 
nature's  commoners,  indebted  to  no  man  for  food,  raiment,  or 
habitation,  the  native  dweller  on  the  road.  He  had  some  of 
the  habitual  jest  of  those  who  have  no  care,  and  congratulated 
me  on  the  size  of  my  table,  the  meadow,  and  the  unadulterated 
purity  of  my  potation,  the  brook.  He  informed  me  that  he 
came  direct  from  the  Nile,  where  he  had  seen  the  son  of  Ves- 
pasian at  the  head  of  a  hundred  thousand  men.  A  Syrian 
soldier,  returning  to  Damascus,  who  joined  our  meal,  felt  in- 
dignant at  the  discredit  thus  thrown  on  a  general  under  whom 
he  had  received  three  pike-wounds  and  leave  to  beg  his  way 
home.  He  swore  by  Ashtoreth  that  the  force  under  Titus  was 
at  least  twice  the  number. 

A  third  wanderer,  a  Kornan  veteran,  of  whom  the  remainder 
was  covered  over  with  glorious  patches,  arrived  just  in  time 
to  relieve  his  general  from  the  disgrace  of  so  limited  a  com- 
mand, and  another  hundred  thousand  was  instantly  put  under 

198 


Salatbiel  in  Strange  Company 


his  orders ;  sanctioned  by  asseverations  in  the  name  of  Jupiter  a  Conversation 
Capitolinus,  and  as  many  others  of  the  calendar  as  the  patriot 
could  pronounce.  This  rapid  recruiting  threw  the  former 
authorities  into  the  background,  and  the  old  legionary  was, 
for  the  rest  of  the  meal,  the  undisputed  leader  of  the  conver- 
sation. They  had  evidently  heard  some  rumor  of  our  prepara- 
tions. 

"To  suppose,"  said  the  veteran,  "that  those  circumcized 
dogs  can  stand  against  a  regular-bred  Roman  general  is  sac- 
rilege. Half  his  army,  or  a  tenth  of  his  army,  would  walk 
through  the  land,  north  and  south,  east  and  west,  as  easily  as 
I  could  walk  through  this  brook." 

"No  doubt  of  it,"  said  the  Syrian,  "if  they  had  some  of 
our  cavalry  for  flanking  and  foraging." 

"Aye,  for  anything  but  righting,  comrade,'1  said  the  Roman 
with  a  laugh. 

"No;  you  leave  out  another  capital  quality,"  observed  the 
beggar,  "for  none  can  deny  that  whoever  may  be  first  in  the 
advance,  the  Syrians  will  be  first  in  the  retreat.  There  are 
two  maneuvers  to  make  a  complete  soldier — how  to  get  into 
the  battle,  and  how  to  get  out  of  it.  Now,  the  Syrians  man- 
age the  latter  in  the  most  undoubted  perfection." 

"Silence,  villain,"  exclaimed  the  Syrian,  "or  you  have 
robbed  your  last  hen-roost  in  this  world. " 

"  He  says  nothing  but  the  truth  for  all  that, "  interrupted 
the  veteran.  "But  neither  of  us  taxed  your  cavalry  with  cow- 
ardice. No ;  it  was  pure  virtue.  They  had  too  much  mod- 
esty to  take  the  way  into  the  field  before  other  troops,  and  too 
much  humanity  not  to  teach  them  how  to  sleep  without  broken 
bones." 

The  beggar,  delighted  at  the  prospect  of  a  quarrel,  gave  the 
assent  that  more  embroiled  the  fray. 

"Mark  Antony  did  not  say  so,"  murmured  the  indignant 
Syrian. 

"Mark  Antony!  "  cried  the  Roman,  starting  upon  his  sin- 
gle leg,  "  glory  to  his  name !  But  what  could  a  fellow  like 
you  know  about  Mark  Antony?  " 

"I  only  served  with  him,"  dryly  answered  the  Syrian. 

199 


tarrg  Cbou  GUI  fl  Come 


Saiatbfeiuears  "Then  here's  my  hand  for  you,"  exclaimed  the  brave  old 
man,  "we  are  comrades.  I  would  love  even  a  dog  that  had 
seen  the  face  of  Mark  Antony.  He  was  the  first  man  that  I 
ever  carried  buckler  under.  Aye,  there  was  a  soldier  for  you ; 
such  men  are  not  made  in  this  puling  age.  He  could  right 
from  morn  till  night,  and  carouse  from  night  till  morn,  and 
never  lose  his  seat  on  his  charger  in  the  field  the  day  after. 
I  have  seen  him  run  half  naked  through  the  snows  in  Arme- 
nia, and  walk  in  armor  in  the  hottest  day  of  Egypt.  He 
loved  the  soldier,  and  the  soldier  loved  him.  So,  comrade, 
here's  to  the  health  of  Mark  Antony.  Ah,  we  shall  never  see 
such  men  again." 

He  drew  out  a  flask  of  ration  wine,  closely  akin  to  vinegar, 
of  which  he  hospitably  gave  us  each  a  cup,  and  after  pouring 
a  libation  to  his  hero's  memory,  whom  he  evidently  placed 
among  his  gods,  swallowed  the  draft,  in  which  we  devoutly 
followed  his  example. 

"Yet,"  said  the  beggar,  "if  Antony  was  a  great  man,  he 
has  left  little  men  enough  behind  him.  There's,  for  instance, 
the  present  gay  procurator — six  months  in  the  gout,  the  other 
six  months  drunk,  or  if  sober  only  thinking  where  he  can  rob 
next.  This  will  bring  the  government  into  trouble  before  long, 
or  I'm  much  mistaken.  For  my  part,  I  pledge  myself  if  he 
should  take  any  part  of  my  property " 

"Why,  if  he  did,"  said  the  Syrian,  "I  give  him  credit  for 
magic.  He  could  find  a  crop  of  wheat  in  the  sand  or  coin 
money  out  of  the  air.  Where  does  your  estate  lie?  " 

"Comrade,"  said  the  veteran,  laughing,  "recollect;  if  the 
saying  be  true  that  people  are  least  to  be  judged  of  by  the 
outside,  the  rags  of  our  jovial  friend  must  hide  many  a  shekel ; 
and  as  to  where  his  estate  lies,  he  has  a  wide  estate  who  has 
the  world  for  his  portion,  and  money  enough  who  thinks  all 
his  own  that  he  can  lay  his  fingers  on." 

The  laugh  was  now  loud  against  the  beggar.  He,  however, 
bore  all,  like  one  accustomed  to  the  buffets  of  fortune,  and, 
joining  in  it,  said: 

"Whatever  may  be  my  talents  in  that  way,  there  is  no 
great  chance  of  showing  them  in  this  company ;  but  if  you 

200 


Salatbiet  in  Strange  Company 


should  be   present  at  the  sack  of  Masada,  and  I  should  meet     Breams  of 

,       ,  „  JSeggara 

you  on  your  way  back 

"  Masada !  "  exclaimed  I  instinctively. 

"  Yes,  I  left  the  town  three  days  ago.  On  that  very  morn- 
ing an  order  arrived  to  prepare  for  the  corning  of  the  great 
and  good  Floras,  who  in  his  wisdom,  feeling  the  want  of 
gold,  has  determined  to  fill  up  the  hollows  of  the  military 
chest  and  his  own  purse  by  stripping  the  armory  of  every- 
thing that  can  sell  for  money.  My  intelligence  is  from  the 
best  authority.  The  governor's  principal  bath-slave  told  it  to 
one  of  the  damsels  of  the  steward's  department,  with  whom 
the  Ethiopian  is  mortally  in  love,  and  the  damsel,  in  a  mo- 
ment of  confidence,  told  it  to  me.  In  fact,  to  let  you  into  my 
secret,  I  am  now  looking  out  for  Floras,  in  whose  train  I  in- 
tend to  make  my  way  back  into  this  gold-mine." 

"  The  villain !  "  cried  the  veteran ;  "  disturb  the  arms  of  the 
dead !  Why,  they  say  that  it  has  the  very  corselet  and  buckler 
that  Mark  Antony  wore  when  he  marched  against  the  Idu- 
rneans  " 

"I  fear  more  the  disturbance  of  the  arms  of  the  living," 
said  the  Syrian ;  "  the  Jews  will  take  it  for  granted  that  the 
Romans  are  giving  up  the  business  in  despair,  and  if  I'm  a 
true  man,  there  will  be  blood  before  I  get  home." 

"No  fear  of  that,  fellow  soldier,"  said  the  veteran  gaily; 
"you  have  kept  your  two  legs,  and  when  they  have  so  long 
carried  you  out  of  harm's  way,  it  would  be  the  worst  treat- 
ment possible  to  leave  you  in  it  at  last.  But  there  is  some- 
thing in  what  you  say.  I  had  a  dream  last  night.  I  thought 
that  I  saw  the  country  in  a  blaze,  and  when  I  started  from  my 
sleep,  rny  ears  were  filled  with  a  sound  like  the  trampling  of 
ten  thousand  cavalry." 

I  drew  my  breath  quickly,  and  to  conceal  my  emotion,  gath- 
ered up  the  fragments  of  our  meal.  On  completing  my  work, 
I  found  the  beggar's"  eye  fixed  on  me, — he  smiled. 

"I  too  had  a  dream  last  night,"  said  he,  "and  of  much  the 
same  kind.  I  thought  that  I  saw  a  cloud  of  cavalry,  riding 
as  fast  as  horse  could  lay  hoof  to  ground ;  I  never  saw  a  more 
dashing  set  since  my  first  campaign  upon  the  highways  of  this 

201 


Cbou  Cill  t  Gome 


Saiatbiei  wicked  world.  I'll  be  sworn  that  whatever  their  errand  may 
be,  such  riders  will  not  come  back  without  it.  Their  horses' 
heads  were  turned  toward  Masada,  and  I  am  now  between  two 
minds,  whether  I  may  not  mention  my  dream  to  the  procurator 
himself. " 

I  found  his  keen  eye  turned  on  me  again. 

"  Absurd !  "  said  I ;  "he  would  recommend  you  only  to  his 
lictor. " 

"  I  rather  think  he  would  recommend  me  to  his  treasurer, 
for  I  never  had  a  dream  that  seemed  so  like  a  fact.  I  should 
not  be  surprised  to  find  that  I  had  been  sleeping  with  my  eyes 
open. " 

His  look  convinced  me  that  I  was  known !  I  touched  his 
hand,  while  the  soldiers  were  busy  packing  up  their  cups,  and 
showed  him  gold.  He  smiled  carelessly.  I  laid  my  hand  on 
my  poniard ;  he  but  smiled  again. 

"The  sun  is  burning  out,"  said  he,  "and  I  can  stand  talk- 
ing here  no  longer.  Farewell,  brave  soldiers,  and  safe  home 
to  you !  Farewell,  Arab,  and  safe  home  to  those  that  you  are 
looking  after !  " 

He  stalked  away,  and  as  he  passed  me,  said  in  a  low  voice, 
"Glory  to  Naphtali!" 

After  exchanging  good  wishes  with  the  old  men,  I  followed 
him ;  he  led  the  way  toward  the  wood  at  a  pace  which  kept 
me  at  a  distance.  When  I  reached  the  shade,  he  stopped, 
and  prostrated  himself  before  me. 

"Will  my  lord,"  said  he,  "forgive  the  presumption  of  his 
servant?  This  day,  when  I  first  met  you,  your  disguise  de- 
ceived me.  I  bear  intelligence  from  your  friends." 

I  caught  the  fragment  of  papyrus  from  him,  and  read : 

"  All's  well.  We  have  hitherto  met  with  nothing  to  oppose 
us.  To-morrow  night  we  shall  be  on  the  ground.  If  no  ad- 
dition be  made  to  the  force  within,  the  surprise  will  be  com- 
plete. Our  cause  itself  is  victory.  Health  to  all  we  love !  " 

"Your  mission  is  now  done,"  said  I;  "go  on  to  Naphtali, 
and  you  shall  be  rewarded  as  your  activity  has  deserved. " 

"No,"  replied  he,  with  the  easy  air  of  a  licensed  humorist; 
"  I  have  but  two  things  to  think  of  in  this  world — my  time 

202 


Salatblel  in  Strange  Company 


and  my  money ;  of  one  of  them,  I  have  infinitely  more  thaii  I  Hn 
well  know  how  to  spend,  and  of  the  other  infinitely  less.  I 
expected  to  have  killed  a  few  days  in  going  up  to  Naphtali. 
But  that  hope  has  been  cut  off  by  my  finding  you  half-way, 
I  will  now  try  Florus,  and  get  rid  of  a  day  or  two  with  that 
most  worthy  of  men." 

"That  I  forbid,"  interrupted  I. 

"  Not  if  you  will  trust  one  whom  your  noble  son  has  trusted. 
I  am  not  altogether  without  some  dislike  to  the  Romans  my- 
self, nor  something  between  contempt  and  hatred  for  Gessius 
Florus,"  His  countenance  darkened  at  the  name.  "I  tell 
you,"  pronounced  he  bitterly,  "that  fellow's  pampered  car- 
cass this  day  contains  as  black  a  mass  of  villainy  as  stains  the 
earth  I  have  an  old  account  to  settle  with  him." 

His  voice  quivered.  "  I  was  once  no  rambler,  no  outcast  of 
the  land.  I  lived  on  the  side  of  Herrnon,  lovely  Hermon !  I 
was  affianced  to  a  maiden  of  my  kindred,  as  sweet  a  flower  as 
ever  blushed  with  love  and  joy  Our  bridal  day  was  fixed. 
I  went  to  Caesarea-Philippi  to  purchase  some  marriage  pres- 
ents. When  I  returned,  I  found  nothing  but  women  weeping, 
and  men  furious  with  impotent  rage.  My  bride  was  gone  A 
Eoman  troop  had  surrounded  her  father's  house  in  the  night 
and  torn  her  away.  Wild,  distracted,  nay,  I  believe  raving 
mad,  I  searched  the  land.  I  kept  life  in  me  only  that  I  might 
recover  or  revenge  her.  I  abandoned  property,  friends,  all! 
At  length  I  made  the  discovery." 

To  hide  his  perturbation,  he  turned  away.  "  Powers  of  jus- 
tice and  vengeance !  "  he  murmured  in  a  shuddering  tone,  "  are 
there  no  thunders  for  such  things?  She  had  been  seen  by 
that  hoary  profligate.  She  was  carried  off  by  him.  She 
spurned  his  insults.  He  ordered  her  to  be  chained,  to  be 
starved,  to  be  lashed !  " 

Tears  sprang  to  his  eyes.  "She  still  spurned  him.  She 
implored  to  die.  She  called  upon  my  name  in  her  misery. 
Wretch  that  I  was,  what  could  I,  a  worm,  do  under  the  heel 
of  the  tyrant?  But  I  saw  her  at  last ;  I  made  my  way  into 
the  dungeon.  There  she  sat,  pale  as  the  stone  to  which  she 
was  chained ;  a  silent,  sightless,  bloodless,  mindless  skeleton. 

203 


£bou  Gill  I  Come 


trbc  Slowness  I  called  to  her;  she  knew  nothing.  I  pressed  my  lips  to  hers; 
she  never  felt  them.  I  bathed  her  cold  hands  in  iny  tears — I 
fell  at  her  feet— I  prayed  to  her  but  to  pronounce  one  word, 
to  give  some  sign  of  remembrance,  to  look  on  me.  She  sat 
like  a  statue ;  her  reason  was  gone,  gone  forever !  " 

He  flung  himself  upon  the  ground,  and  writhed  and  groaned 
before  me.  To  turn  him  from  a  subject  of  such  sorrow,  I 
asked  what  he  meant  to  do  by  his  intercourse  with  Floras. 

"To  do? — not  to  stab  him  in  his  bed;  not  to  poison  him  in 
his  banquet ;  not  to  smite  him  with  that  speedy  death  which 
would  be  mercy — no,  but  to  force  him  into  ruin  step  by  step ; 
to  gather  shame,  remorse,  and  anguish  round  him,  cloud  on 
cloud ;  to  mix  evil  in  his  cup  with  such  exquisite  slowness 
that  he  shall  taste  every  drop ;  to  strike  him  only  so  far  that 
he  may  feel  the  pang  without  being  stunned ;  to  mingle  so  much 
of  hope  in  his  undoing  that  he  may  never  enjoy  the  vigor  of 
despair;  to  sink  him  into  his  own  Tartarus  inch  by  inch  till 
every  fiber  has  its  particular  agony." 

He  yelled,  suddenly  rose  from  the  ground,  and  rushed  for- 
ward and  threaded  the  thickets  with  a  swiftness  that  made  my 
pursuit  in  vain. 


204 


CHAPTER  XXVI 
In  the  Lions'  Lair 

THE  violence  of  the  beggar's  anguish,  and  the  strong  proba-  H  JSeggar 
bilities  of  his  story,  engrossed  me  so  much  that  I  at  first  re- 
gretted the  extraordinary  flight  which  put  it  out  of  my  power 
to  offer  him  any  assistance.  I  returned  with  a  feeling  of  dis- 
appointment to  the-  spot  where  I  had  left  my  horse,  and  was 
riding  toward  the  higher  county,  to  avoid  the  enemy's  strag- 
gling parties,  when  I  heard  a  loud  outcry.  On  a  crag  so  dis- 
tant that  I  thought  human  speed  could  scarcely  have  reached 
it  in  the  time,  I  saw  this  strange  being  making  all  kinds  of 
signals,  sometimes  pointing  to  me,  then  to  some  object  below 
him,  and  uttering  a  cry  which  might  easily  be  mistaken  for 
the  howl  of  a  wild  beast. 

I  reined  up ;  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  ascertain  whether 
he  were  warning  me  of  danger  or  apprising  others  of  my  ap- 
proach. Great  stakes  make  man  suspicious,  and  the  prince 
of  Naphtali,  speeding  to  the  capture  of  the  principal  armory 
of  the  legions,  might  be  an  object  well  worth  a  little  treach- 
ery. I  rapidly  forgot  the  beggar's  sorrows  in  the  consider- 
ation of  his  habits ;  decided  that  his  harangue  was  a  piece  of 
professional  dexterity,  probably  played  off  every  week  of  his 
life,  and  that  if  I  would  not  be  in  Roman  hands  before  night, 
I  must  ride  in  the  precisely  opposite  direction  to  that  which 
his  signals  so  laboriously  recommended.  Nothing  grows  with 
more  vigor  than  the  doubt  of  human  honesty.  I  satisfied  my- 
self in  a  few  moments  that  I  was  a  dupe,  and  dashed  through 
thicket,  over  rock,  forded  torrent,  and  from  the  top  of  an 
acclivity,  at  which  even  my  high-mettled  steed  had  looked 
with  repugnance,  saw  with  the  triumph  of  him  who  deceives 
the  deceiver,  the  increased  violence  of  the  impostor's  attitudes. 
He  leaped  from  crag  to  crag  with  the  activity  of  a  goat,  and 

205 


Cbou  GUI  I  Come 


H  Scciui>eJ>  when  he  could  do  nothing  else,  gave  the  last  evidence  of  Ori- 
ental vexation  by  tearing  his  robes.  I  waved  my  hand  to  him 
in  contemptuous  farewell,  and  dismounting,  for  the  side  of  the 
hill  was  almost  precipitous,  led  my  panting  Arab  through  beds 
of  wild  myrtle,  and  every  lovely  and  sweet-smelling  bloom,  to 
the  edge  of  a  valley  that  seemed  made  to  shut  out  every  dis- 
turbance of  man. 

A  circle  of  low  hills,  covered  to  the  crown  with  foliage,  sur- 
rounded a  deep  space  of  velvet  turf,  kept  green  as  the  emerald 
by  the  moisture  of  a  pellucid  lake  in  its  center,  tinged  with 
every  color  of  heaven.  The  beauty  of  this  sylvan  spot  was 
enhanced  by  the  luxuriant  profusion  of  almond,  orange,  and 
other  trees  that  in  every  stage  of  production,  from  the  bud 
to  the  fruit,  covered  the  little  knolls  below  and  formed  a 
broad  belt  round  the  lake. 

Parched  as  I  was  by  the  intolerable  heat,  this  secluded 
haunt  of  the  very  spirit  of  freshness  looked  doubly  lovely. 
My  eyes,  half -blinded  by  the  glare  of  the  sands,  and  even  my 
mind,  exhausted  by  the  perplexities  of  the  day,  found  deli- 
cious relaxation  in  the  verdure  and  dewy  breath  of  the  silent 
valley.  My  barb,  with  the  quick  sense  of  animals  accustomed 
to  the  travel  of  the  wilderness,  showed  her  delight  by  playful 
boundings,  the  prouder  arching  of  her  neck,  and  the  brighter 
glancing  of  her  eye. 

"Here,"  thought  I,  as  I  led  her  slowly  toward  the  steep  de- 
scent, "  would  be  the  very  spot  for  the  innocence  that  had  not 
tried  the  world,  or  the  philosophy  that  had  tried  it  and  found 
all  vanity.  Who  could  dream  that  within  the  borders  of  this 
distracted  land,  in  the  very  hearing,  almost  within  the  very 
sight,  of  the  last  miseries  that  man  can  inflict  on  man,  there 
was  a  retreat  which  the  foot  of  man  perhaps  never  yet  defiled, 
and  in  which  the  calamities  that  afflict  society  might  be  as  lit- 
tle felt  as  if  it  were  among  the  stars! " 

A  violent  plunge  of  the  barb  put  an  end  to  my  speculation. 
She  exhibited  the  wildest  signs  of  terror,  snorted  and  strove 
to  break  from  me ;  then  fixing  her  glance  keenly  on  the  thick- 
ets below,  shook  in  every  limb.  Yet  the  scene  was  tran- 
quillity itself;  the  chameleon  lay  basking  in  the  sun,  and  th« 

206 


fn  tbe  Xfons'  £atr 


only  sound  was  that  of  the  wild  doves,  murmuring  under  the 
broad  leaves  of  the  palm-trees.  But  my  mare  still  resisted 
every  effort  to  lead  her  downward;  her  ears  were  fluttering 
convulsively;  her  eyes  were  starting  from  their  sockets.  I 
grew  peevish  at  the  animal's  unusual  obstinacy,  and  was 
about  tg»  let  her  suffer  thirst  for  the  day,  when  I  was  startled 
by  a  tremendous  roar. 

A  lion  stood  on  the  summit  which  I  had  but  just  quitted. 
He  was  not  a  dozen  yards  above  my  head,  and  his  first 
spring  must  have  carried  me  to  the  bottom  of  the  precipice. 
The  barb  burst  away  at  once.  I  drew  the  only  weapon  I  had 
— a  dagger — and  hopeless  as  escape  was,  grasping  the  tangled 
weeds  to  sustain  my  footing,  awaited  the  plunge.  But  the 
lordly  savage  probably  disdained  so  ignoble  a  prey,  and 
remained  on  the  summit,  lashing  his  sides  with  his  tail  and 
tearing  up  the  ground.  He  at  length  stopped  suddenly, 
listened,  as  to  some  approaching  foot,  and  then  with  a  hideous 
yell,  sprang  over  me,  and  was  in  the  thicket  below  at  a  single 
bound. 

The  whole  jungle  was  instantly  alive;  the  shade  which  I 
had  fixed  on  for  the  seat  of  unearthly  tranquillity  had  been 
an  old  haunt  of  lions,  and  the  mighty  herd  were  now  roused 
from,  their  noonday  slumbers.  Nothing  could  be  grander  or 
more  terrible  than  this  disturbed  majesty  of  the  forest  kings. 
In  every  variety  of  savage  passion,  from  terror  to  fury,  they 
plunged,  tore,  and  yelled;  dashed  through  the  lake,  burst 
through  the  thicket,  rushed  up  the  hills,  or  stood  baying  and 
roaring  in  defiance,  as  if  against  a  coming  invader ;  their  num- 
bers were  immense,  for  the  rareness  of  shade  and  water  had 
gathered  them  from  every  quarter  of  the  desert. 

While  I  stood  clinging  to  my  perilous  hold,  and  fearful  of 
attracting  their  gaze  by  the  slightest  movement,  the  source  of 
the  commotion  appeared,  in  the  shape  of  a  Roman  soldier  is- 
suing, spear  in  hand,  through  a  ravine  at  the  farther  side  of 
the  valley.  He  was  palpably  unconscious  of  the  formidable 
place  into  which  he  was  entering,  and  the  gallant  clamor  of 
voices  through  the  hills  showed  that  he  was  followed  by 
others  as  bold  and  as  unconscious  of  their  danger  as  himself. 

207 


£bou  ftfll  f  Come 


B  savage  But  his  career  was  soon  closed;  his  horse's  feet  had  scarcely 
touched  the  turf,  when  a  lion  was  fixed  with  fang  and  claw 
on  the  creature's  loins.  The  rider  uttered  a  cry  of  horror, 
and  for  an  instant  sat  helplessly  gazing  at  the  open  jaws  be- 
hind him.  I  saw  the  lion  gathering  up  his  flanks  for  a  second 
bound,  but  the  soldier,  a  figure  of  gigantic  strength,  grasping 
the  nostrils  of  the  monster  with  one  hand,  and  with  the  other 
shortening  his  spear,  drove  the  steel  at  one  resistless  thrust 
into  the  lion's  forehead.  Horse,  lion,  and  rider  fell,  and  con- 
tinued struggling  together. 

In  the  next  moment  a  mass  of  cavalry  came  thundering 
down  the  ravine.  They  had  broken  off  from  their  march, 
through  the  accident  of  rousing  a  straggling  lion,  and  followed 
him  iii  the  giddy  ardor  of  the  chase.  But  the  sight  now  be- 
fore them  was  enough  to  appal  the  boldest  intrepidity.  The 
valley  was  filled  with  the  vast  herd;  retreat  was  impossible, 
for  the  troopers  came  still  pouring  in  by  the  only  pass,  and 
from  the  sudden  descent  of  the  glen,  horse  and  man  were 
rolled  head  foremost  among  the  lions ;  neither  man  nor  mon- 
ster could  retreat. 

The  conflict  was  horrible ;  the  heavy  spears  of  the  legionaries 
plunged  through  bone  and  brain ;  the  lions,  made  more  furious 
by  wounds,  sprang  upon  the  powerful  horses  and  tore  them 
to  the  ground,  or  flew  at  the  troopers'  throats,  and  crushed 
and  dragged  away  cuirass  and  buckler.  The  valley  was  a 
struggling  heap  of  human  and  savage  battle ;  man,  lion,  and 
charger  writhing  and  rolling  in  agonies  until  their  forms  were 
undistinguishable.  The  groans  and  cries  of  the  legionaries, 
the  screams  of  the  mangled  horses,  and  the  roars  and  bowlings 
of  the  lions,  bleeding  with  sword  and  spear,  tearing  the  dead, 
darting  up  the  sides  of  the  hills  in  terror,  and  rushing  down 
again  with  the  fresh  thirst  of  gore,  baffled  all  conception  of 
fury  and  horror.  But  man  was  the  conqueror  at  last;  the 
savages,  scared  by  the  spear,  and  thinned  in  their  numbers, 
made  a  rush  in  one  body  toward  the  ravine,  overthrew  every- 
thing in  their  way,  and  burst  from  the  valley,  awaking  the 
desert  for  many  a  league  with  their  roar. 

The  troopers,  bitterly  repenting  their  rash  exploit,  gathered 

208 


"  The  lions,  made  more  furious  by  /vounds,  sprang  upon  the 
powerful  horses.  '  S^rfs 


Copyright,  MM,  by  look  A  \VaKr.»ll«  Com^nv,  >'.  Y.  ami  ly-r-l. 


?  civu  cut  f  Come 


iUit   lii>. 
touched  th«- 

nfi    tin-    < 

;iH«i   i<>i     :tn    , 

I.Ml.Huill.          1 

i.     i!  <i,   :•-.'    ' 
• 

..!•»(    ;•     •       .       ' 
'•••        • 


In    tli,-   i 

t!.<      i. 

''•.:••::. 


'     .   •'        ,. 

306 


Copyright,  1901,  by  Funk  4  Wagnalls  Company,  N.  Y.  and  London 


fn  tbe  Xfons'  lair 


up  the  remnants  of  their  dead  on  litters  of  boughs,  and  leav-  Saiatbiei 
ing  many  a  gallant  steed  to  feast  the  vultures,  slowly  retired  ap  ure& 
from  the  place  of  carnage. 

The  spot  to  which  I  clung  made  ascent  or  descent  equally 
difficult,  and  during  their  extraordinary  contest  I  continued 
embedded  in  the  foliage,  and  glad  to  escape  the  eye  of  man 
and  brute  alike.  But  the  troop  were  now  gone ;  beneath  me  lay 
nothing  but  a  scene  of  blood,  and  I  began  to  wind  my  way  to 
the  summit.  A  menace  from  below  stopped  me.  A  solitary 
horseman  had  galloped  back  to  give  a  last  look  to  this  valley 
of  death ;  he  saw  me  climbing  the  hill,  saw  that  I  was  not  a 
Roman,  and  in  the  irritation  of  the  hour,  made  no  scruple  of 
sacrificing  a  native  to  the  manes  of  his  comrades.  The  spear 
followed  his  words  and  plowed  the  ground  at  my  side.  His 
outcry  brought  back  a  dozen  of  his  squadron ;  I  found  myself 
about  to  be  assailed  by  a  general  discharge.  Escape  on  foot 
was  impossible,  and  I  had  no  resource  but  to  be  speared,  or 
to  descend  and  give  myself  up  to  the  soldiery. 

It  was  to  warn  me  of  this  hazard  that  the  signals  of  my 
strange  companion  were  made.  He  saw  the  advance  of  the 
Roman  column  along  the  plain.  My  suspicions  of  his  honesty 
drove  me  directly  into  their  road,  and  the  chance  of  turning 
down  the  valley  scarcely  retarded  the  capture.  On  my  first 
emerging  from  the  hills,  I  must  have  been  taken.  However, 
my  captors  were  in  unusual  ill-temper.  As  an  Arab,  too  poor 
to  be  worth  plundering  or  being  made  prisoner,  I  should  have 
met  only  a  sneer  or  an  execration  and  been  turned  loose ;  but 
the  late  disaster  made  the  turban  and  haik  odious,  and  I  was 
treated  with  the  wrath  due  to  a  fellow  conspirator  of  the 
lions.  To  my  request  that  I  should  be  suffered  to  depart  in 
peace  on  my  business,  the  most  prompt  denial  was  given ;  the 
story  that  I  told  to  account  for  my  travel  in  the  track  of  the 
column  was  treated  with  the  simplest  scorn ;  I  was  pronounced 
a  spy,  and  fairly  told  that  my  head  was  my  own  only  till  I 
gave  the  procurator  whatever  information  it  contained. 

Yet  I  found  one  friend,  in  this  evil  state  of  my  expedition. 
My  barb,  which  I  had  given  up  for  lost  in  the  desert,  or  torn 
by  the  wild  beasts,  appeared  on  the  heights  overhanging  our 

14  209 


Cbou  GUI  fl  Come 


»  sovtai  march,  and  by  snuffing  the  wind,  and  bounding  backward  and 
forward  through  the  thickets,  attracted  general  attention.  I 
claimed  her,  and  the  idea  that  the  way-sore  and  rough-clothed 
prisoner  could  be  the  master  of  so  noble  an  animal,  raised 
scorn  to  its  most  peremptory  pitch.  In  turn  I  demanded  per- 
mission to  prove  my  right,  and  called  the  barb.  The  crea- 
ture heard  the  voice  with  the  most  obvious  delight,  bounded 
toward  me,  rubbed  her  head  against  me,  and  by  every  move- 
ment of  dumb  joy  showed  that  she  had  found  her  master. 

Still  my  requests  for  dismissal  were  idle ;  I  talked  to  the 
winds ;  the  rear  squadrons  of  the  column  were  in  sight ;  there 
was  no  time  to  be  lost.  I  was  suffered  to  mount  the  barb, 
but  her  bridle  was  thrown  across  the  neck  of  one  of  the  troop- 
ers' horses,  and  I  was  marched  along  to  death,  or  a  tedious 
captivity.  My  blood  boiled  when  I  thought  of  what  was  to 
be  done  before  the  dawn.  How  miserable  a  proof  had  I 
given  of  the  vigilance  and  vigor  that  were  to  claim  the  com- 
mand of  armies!  I  writhed  in  every  nerve.  My  agitation 
at  length  caught  the  eye  of  a  corpulent  old  captain,  whose 
good-humored  visage  was  colored  by  the  deepest  infusion  of 
the  grape.  His  strong  Thracian  charger  was  a  movable  maga- 
zine of  the  choicest  Falernian;  out  of  every  crevice  of  his 
pack-saddle  and  accouterments  peeped  the  head  of  a  flask ; 
and  to  judge  by  his  frequent  recourse  to  his  stores,  no  man 
was  less  inclined  to  carry  his  baggage  for  nothing.  Popular- 
ity, too,  attended  upon  the  captain,  and  a  group  of  young 
patricians  attached  to  the  procurator's  court  were  content  to 
abate  of  their  rank,  and  ride  along  with  the  old  soldier,  in 
consideration  of  his  better  knowledge  of  the  grand  military 
science,  providing  for  the  road. 

In  the  midst  of  some  camp  story,  which  the  majority  re- 
ceived with  peals  of  applause,  the  captain  glanced  upon  me, 
and  asking  "whether  I  was  not  ill,"  held  out  his  flask.  I 
took  it,  and  never  did  I  taste  draught  so  delicious.  Thirst 
and  hunger  are  the  true  secrets  of  luxury.  I  absolutely  felt 
new  life  rushing  into  nie  with  the  wine. 

"There,"  said  the  old  man,  "see  how  the  fellow's  eye 
sparkles.  Falerniun  is  the  doctor,  after  all.  I  have  had  no 

210 


fn  tbe  Xions'  Xair 


other  those  forty  years.    For  hard  knocks,  hard  watches,  and  Ube  ftaugbt 
hard  weather,  there  is  nothing  like  the  true  juice  of  the  vine.      iirfbune 
Try  it  again,  Arab." 

I  declined  the  offer  in  civil  terms. 

"There,"  said  he,  "it  has  made  the  man  eloquent.  By 
Hercules,  it  would  make  his  mare  speak.  And  now  that  I 
look  at  her,  she  is  as  prettily  made  a  creature  as  I  have  seen 
in  Syria ;  her  nose  would  fit  in  a  drinking-cup.  What  is  her 
price,  at  a  word?  " 

I  answered  that  "she  was  not  to  be  sold." 

"Well,  well,  say  no  more  about  it,"  replied  the  jovial  old 
man ;  "  I  know  you  Arabs  make  as  much  of  a  mare  as  of  a 
child,  and  I  never  meddle  in  family  affairs." 

A  haughty-looking  tribune,  covered  with  embroidery  and 
the  other  coxcombry  of  the  court  soldier,  spurred  his  charger 
between  us  and  uttered  with  a  sneer : 

"What,  captain,  by  Venus  and  all  the  Graces!  giving  this 
beggar  a  lecture  in  philosophy  or  a  lesson  in  politeness?  If 
you  will  not  have  the  mare,  I  will.  Dismount,  slave !  " 

The  officers  gathered  to  the  front,  to  see  the  progress  of  the 
affair.  I  sat  silent. 

"Slave!  do  you  hear?  Dismount!  You  will  lose  nothing, 
for  you  will  steal  another  in  the  first  field  you  come  to." 

"I  know  but  one  race  of  robbers  in  Judea,"  replied  I. 

The  old  captain  reined  up  beside  me,  and  said  in  a  whisper : 
"Friend,  let  him  have  the  mare.  He  will  pay  you  hand- 
somely, and  besides,  he  is  the  nephew  of  the  procurator.  It 
will  not  be  wise  in  you  to  put  him  in  a  passion. " 

"  That  fellow  never  shall  have  her,  tho  he  were  to  coin  these 
sands  into  gold,"  replied  I. 

"Do  you  mean  to  call  us  robbers?  "  said  the  tribune,  with 
a  lowering  eye. 

"  Do  you  mean  to  stop  rue  on  the  high-road  and  take  my 
property  from  me,  yet  expect  that  I  shall  call  you  anything 
else?  "  was  the  answer. 

"Sententious   rogues,  those  Arabs!     Every  soul  of   them     . 
has  a  point,   or  a  proverb,   on  his  tongue,"  murmured  the 
captain   to   the  group  of    young  men,  who  were    evidently 

211 


Cbou  £fll  H  Come 


•Cbe  Urfbune's  amused  at  seeing  their  unpopular  companion  entangled 
with  me. 

"  Slave !  "  said  the  tribune  fiercely,  "  we  must  have  no  more 
of  this.  You  have  been  found  lurking  about  the  camp.  Will 
you  be  hanged  for  a  spy?  " 

"A  spy!"  said  I — and  the  insult  probably  colored  my 
cheek;  "a  spy  has  no  business  among  the  Romans." 

"  So,"  observed  the  captain,  "the  Arab  seems  to  think  that 
our  proceedings  are  in  general  pretty  palpable:  slay,  strip, 
and  burn. "  He  turned  to  the  patrician  tribune.  "  The  fellow 
is  not  worth  our  trouble.  Shall  I  let  him  go  about  his  busi- 
ness? " 

"Sir,"  said  the  tribune  angrily,  "it  is  your  business  to 
command  your  troop  and  be  silent." 

The  old  man  bit  his  lip,  and  fell  back  to  the  line  of  .his 
men.  My  taunter  reined  up  beside  me  again. 

"  Do  you  know,  robber,  that  I  can  order  you  to  be  speared 
on  the  spot  for  your  lies?  " 

"  No,  for  I  have  told  you  nothing  but  the  truth  of  both  of 
us.  Such  an  order,  too,  would  only  prove  that  men  will  often 
bid  others  do  what  they  dare  not  touch  with  a  finger  of  their 
own." 

The  officers,  offended  at  the  treatment  of  their  old  favorite, 
burst  into  a  laugh.  The  coxcomb  grew  doubly  indignant. 

"  Strip  the  hound !  "  exclaimed  he  to  the  soldiers ;  "  it  is 
money  that  makes  him  insolent." 

"  Nature  has  done  it,  at  least  for  one  of  us,  without  the  ex- 
pense of  a  mite,"  replied  I  calmly. 

"  Off  with  his  turban !  Those  fellows  carry  coin  in  every 
fold  of  it." 

The  officers  looked  at  each  other  in  surprise ;  the  captain 
hardly  suppressed  a  contemptuous  execration  between  his  lips. 
The  very  troopers  hesitated. 

"  Soldiers !  "  said  I,  in  the  same  unaltered  tone,  "  I  have  no 
gold  in  my  turban.  An  Arab  is  seldom  one  of  those — the 
outside  of  whose  head  is  better  worth  than  the  inside." 

The  perfumed  and  curled  locks  of  the  tribune,  surmounted 
by  a  helmet,  sculptured  and  plumed  in  the  most  extravagant 

212 


f  n  tbe  Xtona'  Xair 


style,  caught  every  eyej  and  the  shaft,  slight  as  it  was,  went 
home. 

"I'll  pluck  the  robber  off  his  horse  by  the  beard!"  ex- 
claimed the  tribune,  spurring  his  horse  upon  me  and  advan- 
cing his  hand. 

1  threw  open  my  robe,  grasped  my  dagger,  and  sternly 
pronounced :  "  There  is  an  oath  in  our  line  that  the  man  who 
touches  the  beard  of  an  Arab  dies." 

He  was  not  prepared  for  the  action,  hesitated,  and  finally 
wheeled  from  me.  The  old  captain  burst  out  into  an  involun- 
tary huzza. 

"Take  the  beggar  to  the  camp,"  said  the  tribune,  as  he 
rode  away,  "I  hate  all  scoundrels";  and  he  glanced  round 
the  spectators. 

"Then,"  exclaimed  I,  after  him,  as  a  parting  blow,  "you 
have  at  least  one  virtue,  for  you  can  never  be  charged  with 
self-love." 

This  woman-war  made  me  popular  on  the  spot.  The  tribune 
had  no  sooner  turned  his  horse's  head  than  the  officers  clus- 
tered together  in  laughter.  Even  the  iron  visages  of  the 
troopers  relaxed  into  grim  smiles.  The  old  jocular  captain 
was  the  only  one  still  grave. 

"There  rides  not  this  day  under  the  canopy  of  heaven," 
murmured  he,  "a  greater  puppy  than  Caius  Sempronius 
Catulus,  tribune  of  the  thirteenth  legion  by  his  mother's 
morals  and  the  Emperor's  taste.  Why  did  not  the  coxcomb 
stay  at  home,  and  show  off  his  trappings  among  the  supper- 
eaters  of  the  Palatine?  He  might  have  powdered  his  ringlets 
with  gold-dust,  washed  his  hands  in  rose-water,  and  perfumed 
his  handkerchief  with  myrrh  as  well  there  as  here,  for  he 
does  nothing  else — except,"  and  he  clenched  the  heavy  hilt 
of  his  falchion,  "  insult  men  who  have  seen  more  battles  than 
he  has  seen  years,  who  knew  better  service  than  bowing  in 
courts,  and  the  least  drop  of  whose  blood  is  worth  all  that 
will  ever  run  in  his  veins.  But  I  have  not  done  with  him 
yet.  As  for  you,  friend,"  said  he,  "I  am  sorry  to  stop  you 
on  your  way ;  but  as  this  affair  will  be  magnified  by  that  fool's 
tongue,  you  must  be  brought  to  the  procurator.  However,  the 

213 


abou  Ctll  f  Come 


Hn  TUnpicasant  camp  is  only  a  few  miles  off ;  you  will  be  asked  a  few  ques- 
tions, and  then  left  to  follow  your  will." 

He  little  dreamed  how  I  recoiled  from  that  interview. 

To  shorten  the  time  of  my  delay,  the  good-natured  old  man 
ordered  the  squadron  to  mend  their  pace,  and  in  half  an  hour 
we  saw  the  noon  encampment  of  my  sworn  enemy,  lifting  its 
white  tops  and  scarlet  flags  among  the  umbrage  of  a  forest, 
deep  in  the  valley  at  our  feet. 


214 


CHAPTER  XXVII 

The  Escape  of  Salatbiel,  the  cMagidan 

THE  squadron  drew  up  at  the  entrance  of  the  procurator's      Salatbiel 

,       ..,  j      <.     i  ^  i    •      ,1        Hgain  Jface0 

tent,  and  with  a  crowd  of  alarmed  peasants  captured  in  the       ffiorus 

course  of  the  day,  I  was  delivered  over  to  be  questioned  by 
this  man  of  terror.  The  few  minutes  which  passed  before  I 
was  called  to  take  my  turn  were  singularly  painful.  This 
was  not  fear,  for  the  instant  sentence  of  the  ax  would  have 
been  almost  a  relief  from  the  hopeless  and  fretful  thwartings 
sown  so  thickly  in  my  path.  But  to  have  embarked  in  a  noble 
enterprise,  and  to  perish  without  use ;  to  have  arrived  almost 
within  sight  of  the  point  of  my  desires,  and  then,  without  strik- 
ing a  blow,  to  be  given  up  to  shame,  stung  me  like  a  serpent. 

My  heart  sprang  to  my  lips  when  I  heard  myself  called 
into  the  presence  of  Florus.  He  was  lying  upon  a  couch, 
with  his  never-failing  cup  before  him,  and  turning  over  some 
papers  with  a  shaking  hand.  Care  or  conscience  had  made 
ravages  even  in  him  since  I  saw  him  last.  He  was  still  the 
same  figure  of  excess,  but  his  cheek  was  hollow ;  the  few  locks 
on  his  head  had  grown  a  more  snowy  white,  and  the  little 
pampered  hand  was  as  thin  and  yellow  as  the  claw  of  the 
vulture  that  he  so  much  resembled  in  his  soul. 

With  his  head  scarcely  lifted  from  the  table,  and  with  eyes 
that  seemed  half  shut,  he  asked  whence  I  had  come  and 
whither  I  was  going.  My  voice,  notwithstanding  my  attempt 
to  disguise  it,  struck  his  acute  ear.  His  native  keenness  was 
awake  at  once.  He  darted  a  fiery  glance  at  me,  and,  striking 
his  hand  on  the  table,  exclaimed:  "By  Hercules,  it  is  the 
Jew !  "  My  altered  costume  again  perplexed  him. 

"Yet,"  said  he  in  soliloquy,  "that  fellow  went  to  Nero, 
and  must  have  been  executed.  Ho !  send  in  the  tribune  who 
took  him." 

215 


ttbou  GUI  fl  Come 


Saiatbici  Catulus  entered,  and  his  account  of  me  was,  luckily,  con- 
'r  temptuous  in  the  extreme.  I  was  "  a  notorious  robber,  who 
had  stolen  a  handsome  horse,  perfectly  worthy  of  the  stud  of 
the  procurator." 

I  panted  with  the  hope  of  escape,  and  was  gradually  mov- 
ing to  the  door. 

"  Stand,  slave !  "  cried  Florus,  "  I  have  my  doubts  of  you 
still,  and  as  the  public  safety  admits  of  no  mistake  I  have  no 
alternative.  Tribune,  order  in  the  lictors.  He  must  be 
scourged  into  confession." 

The  lictors  were  summoned,  and  I  was  to  be  torn  by  Roman 
torturers. 

A  tumult  now  arose  outside,  and  a  man  rushed  in  with  the 
lictors,  exclaiming:  "Justice,  most  mighty  Florus!  By  the 
majesty  of  Rome,  and  the  magnanimity  of  the  most  illustrious 
of  governors,  I  call  for  justice  against  my  plunderer,  my  un- 
doer,  the  robber  of  the  son  of  El  Hakim,  of  his  most  precious 
treasure." 

Florus  recognized  the  clamorer  as  an  old  acquaintance,  and 
desired  him  to  state  his  complaint,  and  with  as  much  brevity 
as  possible. 

"Last  night,"  said  the  man,  "I  was  the  happy  possessor  of 
a  mare,  fleet  as  the  ostrich  and  shapely  as  the  face  of  beauty. 
I  had  intended  her  as  a  present  for  the  most  illustrious  of 
procurators,  the  great  Florus,  whom  the  gods  long  preserve ! 
In  the  hour  of  my  rest,  the  spoiler  came,  noiseless  as  the  fall 
of  the  turtle's  feather,  cruel  as  the  viper's  tooth.  When  I 
arose  the  mare  was  gone.  I  was  in  distraction.  I  tore  my 
beard ;  I  beat  my  head  upon  the  ground ;  I  cursed  the  robber 
wherever  he  went,  to  the  sun-rising  or  the  sun-setting,  to  the 
mountains  or  the  valleys.  But  fortune  sits  on  the  banner  of 
my  lord  the  procurator,  and  I  came  for  hope  of  his  conquering 
feet.  In  passing  through  the  camp,  what  did  I  see  but  my 
treasure,  the  delight  of  my  eyes,  the  drier  up  of  my  tears !  I 
have  come  to  claim  justice  and  the  restoration  of  my  mare, 
that  I  may  have  the  happiness  to  present  her  to  the  most  re- 
nowned of  mankind." 

I  had  been  occupied  with  the  thought  whether  I  should 

216 


Escape  of  Salatbfel,  tbe  jflfcagtcfan 


burst  through  the  lictors  or  rush  on  the  procurator.     But  the     H  scare's 
length  and  loudness  of  this  outcry  engrossed  every  one.     The 
orator  was  my  friend  the  beggar  !     He  pointed  fiercely  to  me. 
If  looks  could  kill,  he  would  not  have  survived  the  look  that 
I  gave  the  traitor  in  return. 

"There,"  said  Floras,  "is  your  plunderer.  Sabat,  have 
you  ever  seen  him  before?  " 

The  beggar  strode  insolently  toward  me. 

"  Seen  him  before  !  aye,  a  hundred  times.  What  !  Ben 
Ammon,  the  most  notorious  thief  from  the  Nile  to  the  Jordan  ! 
My  lord,  every  child  knows  him.  Ha,  by  the  gods  of  my 
fathers,  by  my  mother's  bosom,  by  shaft  and  by  shield,  he 
has  stolen  more  horses  within  the  last  twenty  years  than 
would  remount  all  the  cavalry  from  Beersheba  to  Damascus  ! 
It  was  but  last  night  that,  as  I  was  leading  my  mare,  the  gem 
of  my  eyes,  my  pearl  --  : 

I  now  began  to  perceive  the  value  of  my  eloquent  friend's 
interposition. 

"  An  Arab  horse-thief  !  That  alters  the  case,  "  said  the  pro- 
curator. "  Ho  !  did  you  not  say  that  the  mare  was  intended 
for  me?  Lictor,  go  and  bring  this  wonder  to  the  door." 

The  voluble  son  of  El  Hakim  followed  the  lictor,  and  re- 
turned, crying  out  more  furiously  than  before  against  me. 
His  "  pearl,  the  delight  of  his  eyes,  was  spoiled  —  was  utterly 
unmanagable.  I  had  put  some  of  my  villainous  enchantments 
upon  her,  for  which  I  was  notorious." 

The  procurator's  curiosity  was  excited;  he  rose  and  went 
to  take  a  view  of  the  enchanted  animal.  I  followed,  and  cer- 
tainly nothing  could  be  more  singular  than  the  restiveness 
which  the  son  of  El  Hakim,  contrived  to  make  her  exhibit. 
She  plunged,  she  bounded,  bit,  reared,  and  flung  out  her  heels 
in  all  directions.  Every  attempt  to  lead  or  mount  her  was 
foiled  in  the  most  complete  yet  most  ludicrous  manner.  The 
young  cavalry  officers  came  from  all  sides,  and  could  not  be 
restrained  from  boisterous  laughter,  even  by  the  presence  of 
the  procurator.  Florus  himself  at  last  became  among  the 
loudest.  Even  I,  accustomed  as  I  was  to  daring  horseman- 
ship, was  surprised  at  the  eccentric  agility  of  this  unlucky 

217 


Cbou  (Till  U  Come 


Cbe  accuser's  rider.  He  was  alternately  on  the  animal's  back  and  under  her 
feet;  he  sprang  upon  her  from  behind,  he  sprang  over  her 
head,  he  stood  upon  the  saddle,  but  all  in  vain;  he  had 
scarcely  touched  her  when  she  threw  him  up  in  the  air  again, 
amid  the  perpetual  roar  of  the  soldiery. 

At  length,  with  a  look  of  dire  disappointment,  he  gave  up 
the  task,  and,  as  scarcely  able  to  drag  his  limbs  along,  pros- 
trated himself  before  Florus,  praying  that  he  would  order  the 
Arab  thief  to  unsay  the  spells  that  had  turned  "  the  gentlest 
mare  in  the  world  into  a  wild  beast."  The  consent  was  given 
with  a  haughty  nod,  and  I  advanced  to  play  my  part  in  a  per- 
formance, the  object  of  which  I  had  no  conception.  The  ora- 
tor delivered  the  barb  to  me  with  a  look  so  expressive  of  cun- 
ning, sport,  and  triumph,  that  perplexed  as  I  was,  1  could 
not  avoid  a  smile. 

My  experiment  was  rapidly  made.  The  mare  knew  me, 
and  was  tractable  at  once.  This  only  confirmed  the  charge 
of  my  necromancy.  But  the  son  of  El  Hakim  professed  him- 
self altogether  dissatisfied  with  so  expeditious  a  process,  and 
demanded  that  I  should  go  through  the  regular  steps  of  the 
art.  In  the  midst  of  the  fiercest  reprobation  of  my  unhallowed 
dealings,  a  whisper  from  him  put  me  in  possession  of  his  mind. 

I  now  went  through  the  process  used  by  the  traveling  jug- 
glers, and  if  the  deepest  attention  of  an  audience  could  reward 
my  talents,  mine  received  unexampled  reward.  My  gazings 
on  the  sky,  whisperings  in  the  barb's  ear,  grotesque  figures 
traced  on  the  sand,  wild  gestures  and  mysterious  jargon, 
thoroughly  absorbed  the  intellects  of  the  honest  legionaries. 
If  I  had  been  content  with  fame,  I  might  have  spread  my 
reputation  through  the  Roman  camps  as  a  conjurer  of  the  first 
magnitude.  I  was,  however,  beginning  to  be  weary  of  my 
exhibition,  and  longed  for  the  signal,  when  Sabat  approached, 
and  loudly  testifying  that  I  had  clearly  performed  my  task, 
threw  the  bridle  over  the  animal's  head  and  whispered, 
"Now!" 

My  heart  panted;  my  hand  was  on  the  mane;  I  glanced 
round  to  see  that  all  was  safe,  before  I  gave  the  spring,  when 
Florus  screamed  out : 

218 


Escape  of  Salatbiel,  tbc  /fcagfcian 


"  The  Jew !  by  Tartarus,  it  is  the  Jew  himself.     Drag  down    B  lesson  fn 
the  circumcised  dog." 

With  cavalry  on  every  side  of  me,  forcible  escape  was  out 
of  the  question. 

"  Undone,  undone !  "  were  the  words  of  my  wild  friend,  as 
he  passed  me.  And  when  I  saw  him  once  more  in  the  most 
earnest  conversation  with  Florus,  I  concluded  that  the  dis- 
covery was  complete.  I  was  in  utter  despair.  I  stood  sul- 
lenly waiting  the  worst,  and  gave  an  internal  curse  to  the 
more  than  malevolence  of  fortune. 

The  conversation  continued  so  long  that  the  impatience  of 
those  around  me  began  to  break  out. 

"On  what  possible  subject  can  the  procurator  suffer  that 
mad  fellow  to  have  so  long  an  audience?  "  said  a  young  pa- 
trician. 

"On  every  possible  subject,  I  should  conceive,  from  the 
length  of  the  conference,"  was  the  reply. 

"Florus  knows  his  man,"  said  a  third;  "that  mad  fellow  is 
a  regular  spy,  and  receives  more  of  the  Emperor's  coin  in  a 
month  than  we  do  in  a  year." 

The  tribune  now  broke  into  the  circle,  and  with  a  look  of 
supreme  scorn,  affectedly  exclaimed :  "  Come,_  knight  of  the 
desert,  sovereign  of  the  sands,  let  us  have  a  specimen  of  your 
calling.  Stand  back,  officers ;  this  egg  of  Ishmael  is  to  quit 
plunder  so  soon  that  he  would  probably  like  to  die  as  he 
lived— in  the  exercise  of  his  trade.  Here,  slave,  show  us  the 
most  approved  method  of  getting  possession  of  another  man's 
horse." 

I  stood  in  indignant  silence.  The  tribune  threatened.  A 
thought  struck  me;  I  bowed  to  the  command,  let  the  barb 
loose,  and  proceeded  according  to  the  theory  of  horse-stealing. 
I  approached  noiselessly,  gesticulated,  made  mystic  move- 
ments, and  gibbered  witchcraft  as  before.  The  animal,  with 
natural  docility,  suffered  my  experiments.  I  continued  urg- 
ing her  toward  the  thinner  side  of  the  circle. 

"Now,  noble  Romans,"  said  I,  "look  carefully  to  the  next 
spell,  for  it  is  the  triumph  of  the  art." 

Curiosity  was  in  every  countenance,     I  made  a  genuflexion 

219 


ttbou  trill  f  Come 


Ube  Udbune  to  the  four  points  of  the  compass,  devoted  a  gesture  of  pecul- 
iar solemnity  to  the  procurator's  tent,  and  while  all  eyes 
were  drawn  in  that  direction,  sprang  on  the  barb's  back  and 
was  gone  like  an  arrow. 

I  heard  a  clamor  of  surprise,  mingled  with  outrageous 
laughter,  and  looking  round,  saw  the  whole  crowd  of  the 
loose  riders  of  the  encampment  in  full  pursuit  up  the  hill. 
Florus  was  at  his  tent  door,  pointing  toward  me  with  furious 
gestures.  The  trumpets  were  calling,  the  cavalry  mounting ; 
I  had  roused  the  whole  activity  of  the  little  army. 

The  slope  of  the  valley  was  long  and  steep,  and  the  heavy 
horsemanship  of  the  legionaries,  who  were  perhaps  not  very 
anxious  for  my  capture,  soon  threw  them  out.  A  little  knot 
of  the  more  zealous  alone  kept  up  a  pursuit,  from  which  I  had 
no  fears.  An  abrupt  rock  in  the  middle  of  the  ascent  at 
length  hid  them  from  me.  To  gain  a  last  view  of  the  camp, 
I  doubled  round  the  rock  and  saw,  a  few  yards  below  me,  the 
tribune,  with  his  horse  completely  blown.  I  owed  him  a  debt, 
which  I  had  determined  to  discharge  at  the  earliest  possible 
time,  partly  on  ray  own  accoiint,  and  partly  on  that  of  the 
old  captain.  I  darted  upon  him.  He  was  all  astonishment; 
a  single  buffet  from  my  naked  hand  knocked  the  helpless 
taunter  off  his  charger. 

"Tribune,"  cried  I,  as  he  lay  upon  the  ground,  "you  have 
had  one  specimen  of  my  art  to-day,  now  you  shall  have  an- 
other. Learn  in  future  to  respect  an  Arab." 

I  caught  his  horse's  bridle,  gave  the  animal  a  lash,  and  we 
bounded  away  together.  The  scene  was  visible  to  the  whole 
camp ;  the  troopers,  who  had  reined  up  on  the  declivity,  gave 
a  roar  of  merriment,  and  I  heard  the  old  corpulent  captain's 
laugh  above  it  all. 


220 


CHAPTER  XXVIH 
The  Power  of  a  Beggar 

I  HAD  escaped,  but  the  delay  was  ruinous.  The  sun  sank 
when  I  reached  the  brow  of  the  mountain,  and  Masada  lay 
many  a  weary  mile  forward.  I  cast  off  the  tribune's  horse, 
thus  giving  his  insolent  master  evidence  that  I  did  not  under- 
stand the  main  point  of  my  trade,  and  stood  pondering  to 
what  point  of  the  mighty  ridge  that  rose  blue  along  the  hori- 
zon I  should  turn,  when,  in  the  plunge  of  the  horse  as  he  felt 
himself  at  liberty,  his  saddle  came  to  the  ground.  The  pos- 
sibility of  its  containing  reports  of  the  state  of  the  enemy  led 
me  to  examine  its  pockets;  they  were  stuffed  with  letters 
worthy  of  the  highest  circles  of  Italian  high  life;  the  ill- 
spelled  registers  of  an  existence  at  a  loss  how  to  lose  its  time ; 
of  libertinism  sick  of  indulgence,  and  of  pecuniary  embar- 
rassment driven  to  the  most  hopeless  and  whimsical  re- 
sources. 

A  glance  at  a  few  of  those  epistles  was  enough,  and  I  scat- 
tered into  the  air  the  reputations  of  half  the  high-born  maids 
and  matrons  of  Rome ;  but  as  I  was  turning  away  with  an  in- 
stinctive exclamation  of  scorn  at  this  compendium  of  patrician 
life,  my  eye  was  caught  by  a  letter  addressed  to  the  governor 
of  Masada.  In  opening  it,  I  committed  no  violation  of  di- 
plomacy, for  it  held  no  secret  other  than  an  angry  remission 
of  his  allegiance  by  some  wearied  fair  one,  who  announced 
her  intended  marriage  with  the  tribune. 

My  revenge  was  thus  to  go  further  than  my  intent,  for  I 
deprived  him  of  the  personal  triumph  of  delivering  this  ca- 
lamitous despatch  to  his  rival.  Yet,  on  second  thought, 
conceiving  that  some  cipher  might  lurk  under  its  absurdity,  I 
secured  the  paper,  and  giving  the  rein,  left  the  whole  secret 
correspondence  of  debt,  libel,  and  love  to  the  delight  of  man- 

221 


ttbou  Gill  f  Gome 


bc  Bistant  kind.  I  flew  along;  my  indefatigable  barb,  as  if  she  felt 
of  strife  her  master's  anxieties,  put  forth  double  speed.  But  I  had 
yet  a  fearful  distance  to  traverse.  The  night  came,  but  I 
had  no  time  to  think  of  rest  or  shelter.  I  pushed  on  The 
wind  rose  and  wrapt  me  in  whirls  of  sand.  I  heard  the  roar 
of  waters.  The  ground  became  fractured,  and  full  of  the 
loose  fragments  that  fall  from  rocky  hills.  I  found  that  I 
was  at  the  foot  of  the  ridge  and  had  lost  my  way.  In  this 
embarrassment  I  trusted  to  the  sagacity  of  my  steed.  But 
thirst  led  her  directly  to  one  of  the  mountain  torrents,  and  the 
phosphoric  gleam  of  the  waters  alone  saved  us  both  from  a 
plunge  over  a  precipice,  deep  enough  to  extinguish  every  ap- 
petite and  ambition  in  the  round  of  this  bustling  world. 

To  find  a  passage  or  an  escape,  I  alighted.  The  torrent 
bellowed  before  me.  A  wall  of  rock  rose  on  the  opposite 
side.  After  long  climbings  and  descents,  I  found  that  I  had 
descended  too  deep  to  return.  Oh,  how  I  longed  for  the  trace 
of  man,  for  the  feeblest  light  that  ever  twinkled  from  the  cot- 
tage window !  I  felt  the  plague  of  helplessness.  To  attempt 
the  torrent  was  impossible.  To  linger  where  I  stood  till 
dawn  was  miseiy. 

What  would  be  going  on  meanwhile?  Perhaps,  at  the 
very  time  while  I  was  standing  in  wretched  doubt,  imprisoned 
among  those  pestilent  cliffs,  the  deed  was  doing.  Constantius 
was,  with  ineffectual  gallantry,  assaulting  the  fortress;  my 
brave  kinsmen  were  sacrificing  their  lives  under  the  Roman 
spears,  and  I  was  not  there ! 

A  fitful  sound  came  mingling  with  the  roar  of  the  cataract; 
it  swelled,  and  vanished  like  the  rushings  of  the  gale.  A 
trumpet  sounded,  but  so  feebly  that  nothing  but  the  keenness 
of  an  ear  straining  to  catch  the  slightest  sound  could  have 
distinguished  it.  I  heard  remote  shouts ;  they  deepened ;  the 
echo  of  trumpets  followed. 

"  The  assault  has  begun !  "  I  thought.  "  The  work  of  glory 
and  of  death  was  doing.  Every  instant  cost  a  life.  The 
hailstones  that  bruised  me  were  not  thicker  than  the  arrows 
that  wore  then  smiting  down  my  people.  Yet  there  was  I, 
like  a  wolf  in  the  pitfall !  " 

222 


Cbe  power  of  a  Beggar 


Even  where  the  combat  was  being  fought,  baffled  my  con-       Un  the 
ception.     It  might  be  in  the  clouds  or  underground,  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  black  ridge  before  me,  or  many  a  league 
beyond  the  reach  of  my  exhausted  limbs  and  drooping  steed ; 
all  was  darkness  to  the  eye  and  to  the  mind. 

A  light  flashed  down  a  ravine  leading  into  the  heart  of  the 
mountains ;  another  and  another  blazed.  Masada  stood  upon 
the  mountain's  brow. 

I  instantly  plunged  into  the  torrent — was  beaten  down  by 
the  billows — was  swept  along  through  narrow  channels  of" 
rock,  until,  half -suffocated,  I  was  hurled  up  against  the  op- 
posite cliff.  Wet  and  weary,  I  less  climbed  than  tore  my 
way  upward.  But  the  torrent  had  borne  me  far  below  the 
ravine.  Before  me  was  a  gigantic  rampart  of  rock.  But  the 
time  was  flying.  I  dragged  myself  up  to  the  face  of  the 
precipice  by  the  chance  brushwood.  I  swung  from  point  to 
point  by  a  few  projecting  branches  that  broke  away  almost 
in  my  grasp,  until,  with  my  hands  excoriated,  my  limbs  stiff 
and  bleeding,  and  my  head  reeling,  I  reached  the  pinnacle. 

Was  I  under  the  dominion  of  a  spell?  Was  the  power  of 
some  fiend  raised  to  mock  me?  All  was  darkness  as  far  as 
the  eye  could  pierce ;  the  heaviest  veil  of  midnight  hung  upon 
the  earth.  There  was  utter  silence.  Not  the  slightest  sound 
reached  the  ear. 

For  a  while,  the  thought  of  some  strange  illusion  was  para- 
mount ;  then  came  the  frightful  idea  that  the  illu'sion  was  in 
myself ;  that  in  the  effort  to  gain  the  ascent,  I  had  strained 
eye  and  ear  until  I  could  neither  hear  nor  see ;  that  I  was 
still  within  sight  and  sound  of  battle,  but  insensible  to  the 
impressions  of  the  external  world  forever.  Immortality  un- 
der this  exclusion !  A  deathlessness  of  the  deaf  and  blind ! 
The  thought  struck  me  with  a  force  inconceivable  by  all  minds 
but  one  sentenced  like  mine. 

In  my  despair  I  cried  aloud.  '  A  flood  of  joy  rushed  into 
my  heart  when  I  heard  my  voice  answered,  tho  it  was 
but  by  the  neigh  of  my  barb  below,  which  probably  felt  itself 
as  ill-placed  as  its  master.  I  now  used  my  ear  as  the  guide, 
and  cautiously  descending  the  farther  side  of  the  ridge  was 

223 


Cbou  CtU  f  Come 


soon  on  comparatively  level  ground,  the  remnant  of  a  forest. 
My  foot  struck  against  a  human  body ;  I  spoke ;  the  answer 
was  a  groan,  and  an  entreaty  that  I  should  bear  a  small 
packet,  which  was  put  into  my  hands,  "to  the  prince  of 
Naphtali !  "  In  alarm  and  astonishment,  I  raised  the  sufferer, 
gave  him  some  water  from  my  flask,  and  after  many  an  effort, 
in  which  I  thought  that  life  would  depart  every  moment,  he 
told  me  that  "he  was  the  unfortunate  leader  of  the  assault  of 
Masada. "  Constantius  lay  in  my  arms ! 

"  Where  I  am,"  said  he,  as  he  slowly  recovered  his  senses, 
"how  I  came  here,  or  anything  but  that  we  are  undone,  I 
can  not  conceive.  My  last  recollection  was  of  fixing  a  ladder 
to  the  inner  rampart.  We  had  made  our  way  good  so  far 
without  loss.  The  garrison  was  weakened  by  detachments 
sent  out  to  plunder.  I  attacked  at  midnight.  To  surprise 
a  Roman  fortress  was,  I  well  knew,  next  to  impossible ;  and 
no  man  ever  found  a  Roman  garrison  without  bravery.  But 
our  bold  fellows  did  wonders.  Everything  was  driven  from 
the  first  rampart;  we  made  more  prisoners  than  we  knew 
what  to  do  with,  and  in  the  midst  of  all  kinds  of  resistance, 
we  laid  our  ladders  to  the  second  wall.  But  the  garrison 
were  still  too  strong  for  us.  Our  easy  conquest  of  the  first 
line  might  have  been  a  snare,  for  the  battlements  before  us 
exhibited  an  overwhelming  force.  We  fought  on,  but  the 
ladders  were  broken  with  showers  of  stones  from  the  engines. 
The  business  looked  desperate,  but  I  had  made  up  my  mind 
not  to  go  back,  after  having  once  got  in;  and  rallying  the 
men,  I  carried  a  ladder  through  a  storm  of  lances  and  arrows, 
to  the  foot  of  the  main  tower.  I  was  bravely  followed,  and 
we  were  within  grasp  of  the  battlement  when  I  saw  a  cohort 
rush  out  from  a  sally-port  below.  This  was  fatal ;  the  foot 
of  the  rampart  was  cleared  at  once ;  the  ladders  were  flung 
down ;  and  I  suppose  it  is  owing  to  the  ill-judged  fidelity  of 
some  of  my  followers  that  I  am  unfortunate  enough  to  find 
myself  here  and  alive." 

During  the  endless  hours  of  this  miserable  night,  I  labored 
with  scarcely  a  hope  to  keep  life  in  my  heroic  son.  My  com- 
ing had  saved  him.  The  exposure  and  his  wounds  must  have 

224 


power  of  a  JSeggar 


destroyed  him  before  morning.     We  consulted  as  to  our  next    saiatbfei's 
course.     I  suggested  the  possibility  of  gaining  the  fortress  by    tbf  *egaar 
a  renewal  of  the  attack,  while  the  garrison  was  unprepared, 
or  perhaps  indulging  in  carousal  after  success.     The  necessity 
of  some  attempt  was  strongly  in  my  mind,  and  I  expressed  my 
determination  to  run  the  hazard,  if  I  could  find  where  the 
remnant  of  our  troop  had  taken  refuge.     But  this  was  the 
difficulty.     Signals  of  any  kind  must  rouse  the  vigilance  of 
the  Romans.     The  fortress  was  above  our  heads,  and  to  col- 
lect the  men  during  the  night  was  impossible. 

While  I  Avatched  the  restless  tossings  of  Constantius,  a  light 
stole  along  the  ground  at  a  distance.  My  first  idea  was  that 
a  Roman  patrol  was  coming  to  extinguish  our  last  remains  of 
hope.  Bat  the  light  was  soon  perceived  to  be  in  the  hand  of 
some  one  cautious  of  discovery.  To  keep  its  bearer  at  a  dis- 
tance, I  followed  the  trr,ck  and  grasped  him. 

"I  surrender,"  said  the  captive,  perfectly  at  his  ease; 
" long  life  to  the  Emperor!  "  He  lifted  the  lamp  to  my  face 
and  burst  into  laughter.  "May  I  have  a  Roman  falchion 
through  me,"  said  he,  "but  I  think  we  were  born  under  the 
same  planet.  By  all  the  food  that  has  entered  my  lips  this 
day,  I  took  your  highness  for  a  thief,  and,  pardon  the  word, 
for  a  Roman  one.  I  have  been  running  after  you  the  whole 
day  and  night." 

He  contined  to  talk  and  writhe,  with  a  kind  of  mad  merri- 
ment. I  could  not  obtain  an  answer  to  my  questions,  of 
what  led  him  there,  how  he  could  guide  us  out  of  the  forest, 
or  what  news  he  brought  from  the  procurator.  He  less 
walked  than  danced  before  me  through  the  thickets,  as  our 
scene  with  Florus  recurred  to  his  fantastic  mind. 

"Never  was  trick  so  capital  as  your  escape,"  he  exclaimed. 
"  I  would  have  given  an  eye  or  an  arm,  things  rather  an  im- 
pediment to  a  beggar,  I  allow ;  but  it  would  have  been  worth 
a  kingdom  to  see,  as  I  saw,  the  faces  of  the  whole  camp,  pro- 
curator, officers,  troopers,  and  all,  down  to  the  horse-boys, 
on  your  slipping  through  their  fingers  in  such  first-rate  style. 
I  have  done  clever  things  in  my  time,  but  never,  no  never,  shall 
I  equal  that  way  of  making  five  thousand  men  at  once  look 

15  225 


•Cbe  like  five  thousand  fools.  I  own  I  thought  that  you  would  do 
something  brilliant,  and  it  was  for  that  purpose  that  I  tried 
to  draw  off  the  eye  of  that  scoundrel  Florus,  for,  sot  as  he  is, 
there  are  not  ten  in  Palestine  keener  in  all  points  where 
roguery  is  concerned.  I  caught  hold  of  his  robe,  told  him  a 
ready  lie  of  the  largest  size  about  a  discovery  of  coin  in  Jeru- 
salem, and  while  he  was  nibbling  at  the  bait  I  heard  the  up- 
roar. You  were  off ;  I  could  not  help  laughing  in  his  illustri- 
ous face.  He  kicked  me  from  him,  and  foaming  with  rage, 
ordered  every  man  and  horse  out  after  your  highness.  But  I 
saw  at  a  glance  that  you  had  the  game  in  your  own  hands. 
You  skimmed  away  like  a  bird ;  an  eagle  could  not  have  got  up 
that  long  hill  in  finer  condition.  Away  you  went,  bounding 
from  steep  to  steep,  like  a  stone  from  a  sling;  you  cut  the 
air  like  a  shaft.  I  have  seen  many  a  mare  in  my  time,  but  as 
for  the  equal  of  yotfrs — why  a  pair  of  wings  would  be  of  no 
use  to  her.  She  is  a  paragon,  a  bird  of  paradise,  an  ostrich 
on  four  legs,  a — 

I  checked  his  volubility  and  led  him  to  the  rough  bedside 
of  Constantius.  I  could  not  have  found  a  better  auxiliary. 
He  knew  every  application  used  in  the  medicine  of  the  time, 
and,  to  give  him  credit  on  his  own  showing,  all  diseases  found 
in  him  an  enemy  worth  all  the  doctors  of  Asia. 

"  He  had  traveled  for  his  knowledge ;  he  had  fought  with 
death  from  the  Nile  to  the  Ganges,  and  could  swear  that  the 
sharks  and  crocodiles  owed  him  a  grudge  throughout  the 
world.  He  had  cured  rajahs  and  satraps  till  he  made  him- 
self unpopular  in  every  court  where  men  looked  for  vacancies ; 
had  kept  rich  old  men  out  of  their  graves  until  there  was  a 
general  conspiracy  of  heirs  to  drive  him  out  of  the  country ; 
and  had  poured  life  into  so  many  dying  husbands  that  the 
women  made  a  universal  combination  against  his  own." 

This  flow  of  panegyric,  however,  did  not  impede  his  present 
services.  He  applied  his  herbs  and  bandages  with  profes- 
sional dexterity,  and  kindling  a  fire,  prepared  some  food, 
which  went  further  to  cheer  the  patient  than  even  his  medi- 
cine. He  still  talked  away  like  one  to  whom  words  were  a 
necessary  escape  for  his  surcharge  of  animal  spirits. 

226 


ipower  of  a  JBecjgar 


"  He  knew  everything  in  physic.  He  liad  studied  in  Egypt,  "Cbc  icccb's 
and  could  compound  the  true  essential  extract  of  mummy  with 
any  man  that  wore  a  beard,  from  the  Cataracts  to  the  bottom 
of  the  Delta.  He  once  walked  to  the  Mountains  of  the  Moon 
to  learn  the  secret  of  powdered  chrysolite.  On  the  Hi- 
malaya he  picked  up  his  knowledge  of  the  bezoar,  and  a  year's 
march  through  sands  and  snows  rewarded  him  at  once  with  a 
bag  of  the  ginseng,  most  marvelous  of  roots,  and  the  sight  of 
the  wall  of  China,  most  endless  of  walls." 

How  he  stooped  to  veil  this  accumulation  of  knowledge  in 
rags,  he  did  not  condescend  to  explain.  But  his  skill,  so  far, 
was  certainly  admirable,  and  my  brave  Constantius  recovered 
with  a  suddenness  that  surprised  me.  With  his  strength  his 
hopes  returned. 

"Oh, "exclaimed  he,  waking  from  a  refreshing  sleep,  "that 
I  were  once  again  at  the  foot  of  the  rampart  with  the  ladder 
in  my  hand!  " 

"By  my  father's  beard,"  replied  the  leech,  "you  are  much 
better  where  you  are ;  for  observe,  tho  I  can  go  further  than 
any  doctor  between  the  four  rivers,  yet  I  never  professed 
to  cure  the  dead.  Take  Masada  by  scale !  Ha!  ha!  take  the 
clouds  by  scale !  You  would  have  found  three  walls  within 
the  one  to  which  they  decoyed  you.  Herod  was  the  prince  of 
builders,  and  could  have  so  built  as  to  have  kept  out  every- 
thing, except  the  champion  that  carries  no  arms  but  a 
scythe. " 

"  Then  you  know  Masada?  "  interrupted  I  eagerly. 

"Know  it,  yes;  every  loophole,  window,  door — aye,  and 
dungeon — from  one  end  of  it  to  the  other. " 

Still,  my  escape  from  the  camp  was  so  congenial  to  his 
ideas  of  pleasantry  that  it  mingled  with  all  his  topics.  War 
and  politics  went  for  nothing  compared  with  the  adroitness 
of  eluding  Roman  insolence. 

"  By  Jove !  "  said  he,  "  when  I  played  my  tricks  with  that 
pearl  of  pearls,  that  supreme  of  horseflesh,  your  barb,  I  was 
clumsy;  I  played  the  clown;  you  beat  me  hollow;  it  was 
matchless ;  it  was  my  purse  in  prospect  of  your  generosity  to 
its  emptiness  this  night" — he  made  a  profound  obeisance; 

237 


£bou  {Till  1  Come 


itnowie&ge  "  to  see  those  fellows  panting  up  the  hill  after  you,  nearly 


"  But  the  fortress?  " 

"  Oh  !  as  to  the  fortress,  the  notion  of  attacking  it  was  mad- 
ness. I  had  my  doubts  of  your  intention,  and  broke  loose 
from  the  camp  to  give  you  the  benefit  of  my  advice.  But 
the  tribune;  ha,  ha!  never  was  coxcomb  so  rightly  served. 
You  won  the  heart  of  the  whole  legion  by  the  single  blow  that 
spared  him  the  trouble  of  sitting  his  horse.  The  troopers  could 
not  keep  their  saddles  for  laughing  ;  and  as  for  the  fat  old  cap- 
tain, I  was  only  afraid  that  he  would  roar  himself  out  of  the 
world.  I  owed  my  escape  partly  to  him,  and  his  last  words 
were  :  '  Rascal,  if  you  ever  fall  in  with  the  Arab,  whom  I  sus- 
pect to  be  as  pleasant  a  rogue  as  yourself,  tell  him  that  I  wish 
I  had  a  dozen  such  in  my  squ'adron.'  ' 

"  But  is  there  any  possibility  of  knowing  the  present  state 
of  the  garrison?  " 

"Aye,  there  is  the  misfortune.  Yesterday  I  could  have  got 
in,  and  got  out  again,  like  a  wild-cat.  But,  after  this  night's 
visit,  it  is  not  too  much  to  suppose  that  they  may  be  a  little 
more  select  in  their  hospitality.  The  governor  has  a  slight 
correspondence  of  his  own  to  carry  on  ;  a  trifle  in  the  way  of 
trade  ;  I  had  the  honor  to  be  smuggler  extraordinary  to  his 
Mightiness,  and,  as  in  state  secrets  everything  ought  to  be  ' 
kept  from  the  vulgar,  my  path  in  and  out  was  by  a  portcullis, 
far  enough  from  gates  and  sentinels,  through  which  portcullis 
I  should  have  shown  you  the  way;  if  the  attack  had  waited 
for  me  a  few  hours  longer.  That  chance  is  of  course  cut  off 
now.  But  see,  yonder  comes  the  morning." 

"  Then  we  must  move,  or  have  the  garrison  on  us.  " 

"I  forbid  that  maneuver,"  interrupted  the  fellow,  with 
easy  audacity. 

Constantius  and  I,  in  equal  surprise,  bade  him  be  silent. 
Yet  the  quietness  with  which  he  took  the  rebuke  propitiated 
me,  and  I  asked  his  reason. 

"  Nothing  more  than  that  if  you  stir  you  are  ruined.  The 
hare  is  safest  near  the  kennel.  The  outlaw  sleeps  sounder  in 
the  magistrate's  stable  than  he  ever  slept  in  his  den.  I  once 

228 


power  of  a  JBeggar 


escaped  hanging  by  coolly  walking  into  a  jail      There  stands  Saiatbfci  (Sains 
Masada!  "  and  he  pointed  to  what  looked  to  me  a  heap  of 
black  clouds  gathered  on  the  mountain's  brow. 

"Not  a  soul  that  you  have  left  alive  there  will  dream  of 
your  being  within  a  stone's  throw.  The  copse  is  thick  enough 
to  hide  a  man  from  everything  but  a  creditor,  an  evil  con- 
science, or  a  wife ;  stir  out  of  it,  and  they  are  on  your  heels. 
I  dislike  them  so  heartily  that  I  hope  never  to  have  the  honor 
of  their  attendance.  But  you  are  not  mad  enough  to  think 
of  trying  them  again?  " 

"  Mad  fellow !  "  I  exclaimed,  "  you  forget  in  whose  pres- 
ence you  are." 

He  continued  making  some  new  arrangement  of  the 
bandages  on  his  patient's  wounds,  and  without  taking  the 
slightest  notice  of  my  displeasure,  cheered  his  work  with  a 
song. 

"  Mad  or  wise, "  said  I  in  soliloquy,  "  I  shall  lie  in  the  ditch 
of  that  fortress,  or  in  its  citadel,  before  next  sunrise." 

"  You  may  lie  in  both, "  said  the  beggar,  pursuing  his  occu- 
pation and  his  song.  "  Mad !  Why  not? — all  the  world  is  in 
the  same  way.  The  Emperor  is  mad  enough  to  stay  where 
men  have  hands  and  knives.  His  people  are  mad  enough  to 
let  their  throats  be  cut  by  him.  Florus  is  mad  enough 
to  sleep  another  night  in  Palestine.  You  are  mad  enough  to 
attack  his  garrison;  and  I — am  mad  enough  to  go  along  with 
you." 

"  You  are  a  singular  being.  But  will  you  hazard  your  neck 
for  nothing?  " 

"Custom  makes  everything  easy,"  observed  he,  spanning 
his  muscular  neck  with  his  hand;  "I  have  been  so  many 
years  within  sight  of  the  cord,  and  all  other  expeditious 
modes  of  paying  the  only  debt  I  ever  intend  to  pay,  and  that 
only  because  it  is  the  last,  that  I  care  as  little  about  the  ven- 
ture as  any  broken  gambler  about  his  last  coin.  Well  then, 
my  plan  is  this :  I  must  get  into  the  town ;  you  must  gather 
your  troop  without  noise  and  be  ready  for  my  signal,  a  light 
from  one  of  the  towers.  A  false  attack  must  be  made  on  the 
gates,  a  true  attack  must  be  made  by  the  portcullis,  which,  if 

229 


Gbou  GUI  U  Come 


it  be  not  stopped  up,  I  will  unlock;  and  your  highness  niav 
cat  your  next  supper  off  the  governor's  plate.  There's  a  plan 
for  you !  I  should  have  been  a  general.  But  merit — aye, 
there's  the  rub — merit  is  like  the  camel's  lading:  it  stops  him 
at  the  gate,  while  the  empty  slip  in.  It  is  like  putting  wings 
upon  one's  shoulders,  when  the  race  is  to  be  run  upon  the 
ground.  Too  much  brain  in  a  man  is  like  too  much  bend  in 
a  bow ;  the  bow  either  breaks,  or  sends  the  arrow  a  mile  be- 
yond the  mark.  Genius,  my  prince,  is : 

I  interrupted  the  general  in  his  progress  into  the  philoso- 
pher, and  demanded  whether  the  renewed  vigilance  of  the  for- 
tress would  not  require  some  additional  expedient  for  his 
entry  He  struck  his  forehead;  the  thought  came,  as  tin- 
flint  gives  its  spark,  and  he  produced  a  highly  ornamented 
tablet. 

"This,"  said  he,  "I  ought  to  employ  in  your  service,  for 
if  you  had  not  knocked  down  the  tribune  I  could  never 
have  picked  it  up.  In  making  my  run  over  the  mountain,  I 
struck  upon  his  correspondence.  Oh !  the  curse  of  curiosity ! 
if  I  had  not  stopped  to  delight  myself  with  the  whole  scandal 
of  Rome,  I  should  have  been  here  in  time.  But  I  lingered, 
lost  an  hour  in  laughing,  and  when  I  set  out  in  the  dusk  lost 
my  way,  for  the  first  time  in  my  life.  Before  setting  off, 
however,  I  wrote  a  letter,  ridiculing  Florus  in  all  points,  bur- 
lesquing the  people  about  him,  scoffing  at  everybody  in  the 
most  heroic  style;  and  having  subscribed  the  name  of  the 
unlucky  tribune,  addressed  it  to  one  of  the  most  notorious 
personages  in  all  Italy,  and  placed  it  where  it  is  sure  to  be 
seen,  and  as  sure  to  be  carried  to  the  most  noble  of  procura- 
tors. Now  could  I  not  begin  a  correspondence  with  the  gov- 
ernor, and  act  the  courier  myself?  Yet,  to  hit  upon  the  sub- 
ject— He  paused. 

The  letter  that  I  had  found  occurred  to  me.  I  showed  it  to 
our  adroit  friend.  He  was  in  ecstasies.  He  kissed  it  over  and 
over,  and  played  some  of  those  antics  which  had  already  made 
me  almost  half  doubt  his  sanity.  He  flung  away  the  tablet. 

"Go,"  said  he;  "fiction  is  a  fine  thing  in  its  way.  But  give 
me  fact  when  1  want  to  entrap  a  great  man.  He  is  so  little 

230 


power  of  a 


used  to  truth  that  the  least  atom  of  it  is  a  spell;  the  fresh  ubc 
bait  will  carry  the  largest  hook.  Aye,  this  is  the  letter  for  us ; 
it  has  the  sincerity  of  the  sex,  when  they  are  determined  to 
jilt  a  man;  its  abuse  will  cover  me  from  top  to  toe  with  the 
cloak  of  a  true  ambassador." 

"But  the  unpopularity  of  your  credentials,"  said  I  laugh- 
ingly. 

"  Let  the  potentate  by  whom  they  are  sent  settle  that  affair 
with  the  potentate  by  whom  they  are  received,"  replied  he. 

"You  will  be  hanged." 

"  I  shall  first  get  in." 


231 


CHAPTER  XXIX 
^Prisoners  in  a  Labyrinth 

*fo?trc09C  THE  day  passed  anxiously,  for  every  sound  of  the  huge 
fortress  was  heard  in  the  thicket.  The  creaking  of  machines, 
brought  up  to  the  walls  against  future  assault ;  the  rattling  of 
hammers ;  the  rolling  of  wagons  loaded  with  materials  for  the 
repair  of  the  night's  damage ;  the  calls  of  trumpet  and  clarion, 
and  the  march  of  patrols,  rang  perpetually  in  our  ears.  The 
depth  of  the  copse  justified  the  beggar's  generalship,  and  the 
son  of  El  Hakim  proved  himself  a  master  of  the  art  of  cas- 
trametation.  Nothing  could  exceed  his  alertness  in  threading 
the  mazes  of  this  dwarf  forest,  where  a  wolf  could  scarcely 
have  made  progress  and  where  a  lynx  would  have  required 
all  his  eyes. 

On  my  asking  how  he  contrived  to  find  his  way  through  this 
labyrinth,  he  told  me,  that  "for  making  one's  way  in  woods 
and  elsewhere,  there  was  nothing  like  a  familiarity  with 
smuggling  and  affairs  of  state." 

"  The  man, "  continued  he, .  "  who  has  driven  a  trade  in 
everything,  from  pearls  to  pistachios,  without  leave  of  the 
customs,  can  not  be  much  puzzled  by  thickets ;  and  the  man 
who  has  contrived  to  climb  into  confidence  at  court  must  have 
had  a  talent  for  keeping  his  feet  in  the  most  slippery  spots,  or 
he  never  could  have  mounted  the  back  stairs." 

He  collected  the  scattered  troop,  of  whom  but  few  had 
fallen,  tho  nearly  one  half  were  made  prisoners ;  they  were 
eager  to  attempt  the  rampart  again,  all  boldly  attribut- 
ing their  failure  to  accident,  and  all  thirsting  alike  for  the 
rescue  of  their  comrades  and  for  revenge.  The  letter  was 
given  to  our  emissary,  and  I  ascended  the  loftiest  of  the 
mountain  pinnacles,  to  examine  for  myself  the  nature  of  the 
ground.  From  my  height  the  view  was  complete ;  the  whole 

233 


prisoners  in  a  Xabgrintb 


interior  of  the  fortress  lay  open,  and  in  the  same  glance  I  saw  -Cbe  Sount>  of 
the  grandeur  of  design  which  Greek  taste  could  stamp  even 
upon  the  strength  of  military  architecture,  and  the  utter  hope- 
lessness of  any  direct  assault  upon  Masada 32  by  less  than  an 
army. 

Who  but  he  that  has  actually  been  in  the  same  situation, 
can  conceive  the  feelings  with  which  I  gazed !  Below-  me  was 
the  spot  in  which  a  few  hours  must  see  me  conqueror  or  noth- 
ing! On  that  battlement  I  might,  before  another  morn,  be 
stretched  in  blood !  On  that  tower  I  might  be  fixed  a  horrid 
spectacle!  Nature  is  irresistible,  and  her  workings,  for 
a  while,  overpowered  even  the  belief  in  my  mysterious  sen- 
tence. The  thought  has  always  terribly  returned,  but  the 
moment  of  energy  has  ever  extinguished  it ;  the  hurrying  and 
swelling  current  of  my  heart  rolled  over  it,  as  the  winter  tor- 
reiit  rushes  over  the  tomb  on  its  brink.  The  melancholy 
memorial  was  there,  sure  to  reappear  with  the  first  subsiding, 
but  lost  while  the  flood  of  feeling  whirled  along.  Every 
group  of  soldiery  that  sang,  or  gamed,  or  gazed,  along  the 
ramparts,  under  the  bright  and  quiet  day  which  followed  so 
fearful  a  night;  every  archer  pacing  on  his  tower;  every 
change  of  the  guard ;  every  entering  courier,  was  visible  to 
me,  and  all  were  objects  of  keen  interest. 

At  length  my  courier  came.  I  saw  his  approach  from  a  pass 
of  the  mountains  at  the  remotest  point  from  our  cover,  his 
well-contrived  exhaustion,  and  the  fearless  impudence  with 
which  he  beguiled  the  sulky  guard  at  the  gate,  and  stalked 
before  the  centurion  by  whom  he  was  brought  to  the  governor. 

With  what  eyes  of  impatience  I  now  watched  the  sun.  As 
the  hour  of  fate  approached,  the  fever  of  the  mind  grew.  To 
defer  the  attack  beyond  the  night  was  to  abandon  it,  for  by 
morn  the  troops  under  Florus  must  reach  Masada.  Yet  a 
strange  sensation,  a  chilliness  of  heart  sometimes  came  on  me, 
in  which  my  hands  were  as  feeble  as  an  infant's.  Nothing 
tries  the  soul  more  deeply  than  this  concentration  of  its  for- 
tunes into  a  few  moments.  The  man  sees  himself  standing 
on  the  edge  of  a  precipice,  down  which  there  is  no  second 
step.  But  the  thought  of  returning  errandless  and  humil- 

233 


•Cbe  tRoman   iated,  and  this,  too,  from  my  first  enterprise,  was  intolerable, 
fvccnforccmcnt  T          -,  i      •   • 

I  made  my  decision. 

From  that  instant  I  breathed  freely,  my  strength  returned, 
hope  glowed  in  my  bosoin,  and  clinging  to  the  granite  spire 
of  the  mountain,  I  looked  down  upon  the  haughty  stronghold, 
like  its  evil  genius  descending  from  the  clouds.  The  sun 
touched  the  western  ridge.  A  horseman  came  at  full  speed 
across  the  plain  at  its  foot  and  entered  the  fortress.  He  evi- 
dently brought  news  of  importance,  for  the  troops  were  hur- 
ried under  arms,  flags  hoisted  on  the  ramparts,  and  the  walls 
lined  with  archers.  All  was  military  bustle. 

My  first  conception  was,  that  my  emissary  had  betrayed  us, 
and  that  we  were  about  to  be  attacked.  I  plunged  from  the 
pinnacle,  and  was  following  the  windings  of  the  goat  track  to 
our  lair,  when  I  saw  the  rising  of  a  cloud  of  dust  in  the  dis- 
tance. It  moved  with  rapidity,  and  soon  developed  its  con- 
tents. Intelligence  of  the  assault  had  reached  Florus.  His 
sagacity  saw  what  perils  turned  on  the  loss  of  the  fortress ; 
he  shook  off  his  indolence,  and  came  without  delay  to  its 
succor.  Banners,  helmets,  and  scarlet  cloaks  poured  across 
the  plain.  A  torrent  of  brass,  burning  and  flashing  in  the 
sunbeam,  continued  to  roll  down  the  defile,  and  before  the 
evening  star  glittered  the  whole  cavalry  of  the  fifteenth  legion 
was  trampling  over  the  drawbridge  of  Masada.  Here  was  the 
death-blow.  My  enterprise  was  henceforth  tenfold  more  hope- 
less ;  but  with  me  the  time  for  prudence  was  past.  If  the  re- 
enforcement  had  arrived  but  an  hour  before,  I  should  probably 
have  given  up  the  attempt  in  despair.  But  my  mind  was  now 
fixed ;  I  had  made  an  internal  vow,  and  if  the  whole  host  of 
Rome  was  crowded  within  the  walls  beneath  me,  I  should 
have  hazarded  the  assault. 

I  descended,  found  my  troop  collected,  and,  to  my  alarm 
and  vexation,  Constantius,  enfeebled  as  he  was,  obstinately 
determined  to  assault  the  rampart  again.  With  the  daring  of 
his  enthusiastic  heart  he  told  me  that  unless  I  suffered  him  to 
attempt  the  retrieval  of  his  defeat,  he  felt  it  impossible  to 
survive. 

"Shame  and  grief,"  said  he,  "are  as  deadly  as  the  sword, 

234 


Prisoners  in  a  Xab^rintb 


and  never  will  I  return  to  the  face  of  her  whom  I  love,  or  of    ^   in  tbc 
the  family  whom  I  honor,  unless  I  can  return  with  the  con-  " 
sciousness  of  having  at  least  deserved  to  be  successful." 

Against  this  I  reasoned,  but  reasoned  in  vain.  We  finally 
divided  our  followers.  I  gave  him  the  attack  of  the  rampart, 
which  was  to  be  the  place  of  his  triumph  or  his  grave;  flung 
myself  into  his  embrace,  and  listened  to  his  parting  steps 
with  a  heart  throbbing  at  every  tread.  I  then  moved  round 
the  foot  of  the  mountain  toward  the  secret  passage.  The 
night  fell  as  dark  as  we  could  wish.  I  waited  impatiently 
for  the  signal,  a  light  from  the  walls.  Yet  no  signal  twinkled 
from  wall  or  tower,  and  I  began  to  distrust  again ;  but  while 
I  lingered,  a  shout  told  me  that  Constantius  was  already  en- 
gaged. 

"Let  what  will,  come,"  exclaimed  I;  "onward!" 

We  scrambled  up  the  face  of  the  rock,  and  at  length  found 
the*  entrance  of  the  subterranean.  It  was  so  narrow  that  even 
in  the  daytime  it  must  have  been  invisible  from  below.  A 
low  iron  door  a  few  yards  within  the  fissure  was  the  first  ob- 
stacle. To  beat  it  down  might  alarm  the  garrison.  The  pas- 
sage only  allowed  us  to  advance  one  by  one.  I  led  the  way, 
hatchet  in  hand.  A  few  blows  broke  the  stones  round  the 
lock;  the  door  gave  way,  and  we  all  crept  in.  In  this  man- 
ner we  wound  along  for  a  distance  which  I  began  to  think 
endless.  The  passage  was  singularly  toilsome.  We  de- 
scended steep  paths,  in  which  it  was  with  the  utmost  diffi- 
culty that  we  could  keep  our  feet ;  we  heard  the  rush  of  waters 
through  the  darkness ;  blasts  of  bitter  wind  swept  against  us ; 
the  thick  and  heavy  air  that  closed  round  us  after  them  al- 
most impeded  our  breathing;  and  from  time  to  time  sulfurous 
vapors  gave  the  fearful  impression  that  we  had  lost  our  way 
and  were  actually  in  the  bowels  of  a  burning  mine. 

My  hunters  still  held  on,  but  the  mere  fatigue  of  straggling 
through  this  poisoned  atmosphere  was  fast  exhausting  their 
courage.  I  cheered  them  with  what  hopes  I  could,  but  never 
was  my  imagination  more  barren.  I  heard,  at  eveiy  step  I 
took,  fewer  feet  following  me.  The  pestilential  air  was  be- 
ginning to  act  even  upon  myself;  but  the  great  stake  was 

235 


Sbou  GUI  1  Come 


B  Darting  playing  above,  and  onward  I  must  go.  I  dared  not  speak 
louder  than  a  whisper ;  soon  no  whisper  responded  to  mine. 
I  tottered  on,  until  overpowered  by  the  feeling  that  our  sac- 
rifice was  in  vain,  a  sensation  like  that  of  a  sickly  propen- 
sity to  sleep  bound  up  my  faculties ;  whether  I  slept  or 
fainted,  I  for  a  time  lost  all  recollection. 

A  roar,  like  thunder  overhead,  roused  me.  A  sight,  the 
most  superb,  burst  on  my  dazzled  eyes ;  a  roof  of  seeming  gold, 
arched  so  high  that  even  its  splendor  was  partially  dinnm-d; 
walls  of  apparent  diamond,  pillared  with  a  thousand  columns 
of  every  precious  gem ;  whole  shafts  of  emerald ;  pavilions  of 
jasper;  a  floor,  as  far  as  the  glance  could  pierce,  studded  with 
amethyst  and  ruby ;  apparent  treasures,  to  which  the  accumu- 
lated spoils  of  the  Greek  or  the  Persian  were  nothing;  the 
finest  devices  of  the  most  exquisite  art,  mingled  with  the  most 
colossal  forms  which  wealth  could  wear ;  opulence  in  its  mas- 
sive and  negligent  grandeur ;  opulence  in  its  delicate  and  al- 
most spiritualized  beauty,  were  before  me.  A  slender  flame 
burning  at  the  foot  of  an  idol  lighted  up  this  stupendous 
temple. 

I  was  alone,  but  the  orifice  by  which  I  had  entered  was 
visible ;  the  light  shot  far  down  into  it,  and  I  soon  brought 
forward  the  greater  number  of  my  troop.  All  were  equally 
wrapt  in  wonder,  and  the  superstitious  feelings,  which  the 
presence  of  the  Roman  and  Syrian  idolaters  had  partially  gen- 
erated even  in  the  Jewish  mind,  began  to  startle  those  brave 
men. 

"  We  had,  perhaps,  come  into  forbidden  ground ;  the  gods 
of  the  earth,  whether  gods  or  demons,  were  powerful,  and 
we  stood  in  the  violated  center  of  the  mountain." 

For  the  first  time,  I  found  the  failure  of  my  influence.  A 
few  adhered  to  me,  but  the  majority  calmly  declared  that, 
however  fearless  of  man,  they  dared  go  no  farther.  I  threw 
myself  on  the  ground  before  the  entrance  of  the  cavern,  and 
desired  them  to  consummate  their  crime  by  trampling  on  their 
leader.  But  they  were  determined  to  retire.  I  taunted  them, 
I  adjured  them,  I  poured  out  the  most  vehement  reproaches. 
They  stepped  over  me  as  I  lay  at  the  mouth  of  the  fissure, 

236 


prisoners  in  a  Xabgrintb 


and  at  length  one  and  all  left  me  to  cry  out  in  my  dazzling 
solitude  against  the  treachery  of  human  faith  and  the 
emptiness  of  human  wishes. 

The  roar  again  rolled  above;  I  heard  distant  shouts  and 
trumpets.  In  the  sudden  and  desperate  consciousness  that 
all  was  now  to  be  gained  or  lost,  I  rushed  after  the  fugitives, 
to  force  them  back.  I  plunged  into  the  darkness,  and  grasped 
the  first  figure  that  I  could  overtake.  My  hand  fell  on  the 
iron  cuirass  of  a  Roman!  my  blood  ran  chill.  "Were  we 
betrayed — decoyed  into  the  bowels  of  the  mountain  to  be  mas- 
sacred? " 

The  figure  started  from.  me.  I  gave  a  blind  blow  of  the  ax, 
and  heard  it  crush  through  his  helmet.  The  man  fell  at  my 
feet.  I  wildly  demanded,  "  How  he  came  there,  and  how  we 
might  make  our  way  into  the  light?  " 

"You  are  undone,"  said  he  faintly.  "Your  spy  was  seized 
by  the  procurator.  Your  attack  was  known,  and  the  door  of 
the  subterranean  left  unguarded  to  entrap  you.  This  passage 
was  the  entrance  to  a  former  mine,  and  in  the  mine  is  your 
grave." 

The  voice  sank ;  he  groaned,  and  was  no  more. 

His  words  were  soon  confirmed  by  the  hurried  return  of  my 
men.  They  had  found  the  passage  obstructed  by  a  portcullis, 
dropped  since  their  entrance.  Torches  were  seen  through  the 
fissures  above,  and  the  sound  of  arms  rattled  round  us.  The 
ambush  was  complete. 

"Now,"  said  I,  "we  have  but  one  thing  for  it — the  sword, 
first  for  our  enemy,  last  for  ourselves.  If  we  must  die,  let  us 
not  die  by  Roman  halters." 

One  and  all,  we  rushed  back  into  the  mine.  But  we  had 
now  no  leisure  to  look  upon  the  beauty  of  those  spars  and 
crystals  which  under  the  light  of  the  altar  glittered  and 
blushed  with  such  gem-like  radiance.  From  that  altar  now 
rose  a  pyramid  of  fire ;  piles  of  faggots,  continually  poured 
from  a  grating  above,  fed  the  blaze  to  intolerable  fierceness. 
Smoke  filled  the  mine.  To  escape  was  beyond  hope.  The 
single  orifice  had  been  already  tried.  Around  us  was  a  solid 
wall  as  old  as  the  world.  It  was  already  heating  with  the 

237 


Carrg  (Tbou  (Till  t  Conic 


Saiatbici'e  blaze ;  our  feet  shrank  from  the  floor.  The  flame,  shooting 
igcon  ^n  a  thousand  spires,  coiled  and  sprang  against  the  roof,  the 
walls,  and  the  ground.  To  remain  where  we  were,  was  to  be 
burned  to  cinders.  The  catastrophe  was  inevitable. 

In  the  madness  of  pain,  I  made  a  furious  bound  into  the 
column  of  fire.  All  followed,  for  death  was  certain,  and  the 
sooner  it  came  the  better.  With  unspeakable  feelings  I  saw, 
at  the  back  of  the  mound  of  stone  on  which  the  faggots 
burned,  an  opening,  hitherto  concealed  by  the  huge  figure  of 
the  idol.  We  ciwvded  into  it;  here  we  were  at  least  out  of 
reach  of  the  flame.  But  what  was  our  chance  save  that  of  a 
more  lingering  death?  We  hurried  in;  another  portcullis 
stood  across  the  passage !  What  was  to  be  our  fate  but  fam- 
ine? We  must  perish  in  a  lingering  misery — of  all  miseries 
the  most  appalling,  and  with  the  bitter  aggravation  of  perish- 
ing unknown,  worthless,  useless,  stigmatized  for  slaves  or 
dastards !  What  man  of  Israel  would  ever  hear  of  our  deaths? 
What  chronicler  of  Rome  would  deign  to  vindicate  our  absence 
from  the  combat? 

We  were  within  hearing  of  that  combat.  The  assault  thun- 
dered more  wildly  than  ever  over  our  heads;  the  alternate 
shout  of  Jew  and  Roman  descended  to  us.  But  where  were 
we? — caged,  dungeoned,  doomed !  If  the  earth  had  laid  her 
treasures  at  my  feet  that  night,  I  would  have  given  them  for 
one  hour  of  freedom.  Oh,  for  one  struggle  in  daylight,  to 
redeem  niy  name  and  avenge  my  country ! 

The  roar  of  battle  suddenly  sank.  Was  all  lost?  Con- 
stantius  slain?  for  with  life  he  would  not  yield.  Was  the 
whole  hope  of  Judea  crushed  at  a  blow?  I  cried  aloud  to 
my  followers  to  force  the  portcullis.  They  dragged  and  tore 
at  the  bars.  But  it  was  of  a  solid  strength  that  not  ten  times 
ours  could  master. 

In  the  midst  of  our  hopeless  labors,  the  sound  of  heavy 
blows  above  caught  my  ear,  and  fragments  of  rock  fell  in ;  the 
blows  were  continued.  Was  this  but  a  new  expedient  to  crush 
or  suffocate  us?  A  crevice  at  length  showed  the  light  of  a 
torch  overhead.  I  grasped  the  ax  to  strike  a  last  blow  at  the 
gate  and  die.  I  heard  a  voice  pronounce  niynanie!  Another 

888 


prisoners  in  a  labgrfntb 


blow  opened  the  roof.     A  face  bent  down,  and  a  loud  laugh    Ube  -Rescue 
proclaimed  my  crazy  friend. 

"Ha!  "  said  he,  "are  you  there  at  last?  You  have  had  a 
hard  night's  work  of  it.  But  come  up;  I  have  an  incompar- 
able joke  to  tell  you  about  the  tribune  and  the  procurator. 
Corne  up,  my  prince,  and  see  the  world." 

I  had  no  time  to  rebuke  his  jocularity.  I  climbed  up  the 
rugged  side  of  the  passage,  and  found  myself  still  in  a  dun- 
geon. To  my  look  of  disappointment,  he  gave  no  other 
answer  than  a  laugh,  and  unscrewing  a  bar  from  the  loophole 
above  his  head — 

"It  is  my  custom,"  said  he,  "to  make  myself  at  my  ease, 
wherever  I  go;  and  as  prisons. fall  to  a  man's  lot,  like  other 
things,  I  like  to  be  able  to  leave  my  mansion  whenever  I  am 
tired  of  it." 

"Forward,  then,"  said  I  impatiently. 

"Backward,"  said  the  beggar,  with  the  most  unruffled  cool- 
ness. "  That  loophole  is  for  nie  alone.  I  may  be  under  the 
governor's  care  again,  and  I  have  shown  it  to  you  now  merely 
as  a  curiosity.  Drink,  my  brave  fellows, "  said  he,  turning  to 
the  troop  below,  and  giving  them  a  skin  of  wine ;  "  soldiers 
must  have  their  comforts,  my  gallant  prince,  as  well  as  beg- 
gars. If  that  villain  procurator  had  not  come  by  express  (for 
no  man  alive  is  quicker  to  catch  an  idea  where  he  is  likely  to 
gain),  you  should  have  been  by  this  time  sleeping  in  the  gov- 
ernor's bed?  and  the  governor  probably  supping  with  me. 
But  all  is  fortune,  good  and  bad,  in  this  world.  The  procur- 
ator, putting  your  escape  and  mine  together,  began  to  think 
that  his  presence  might  be  useful  here,  and  the  laziest  rogue 
in  Palestine  came  with  a  speed  that  might  have  done  honor  to 
the  quickest,  who  stands  before  you  in  my  person.  I  had  gone 
on  swimmingly  with  the  governor,  on  the  strength  of  your  love- 
letter,  angry  as  it  made  him.  But  the  first  sight  of  Floras  put 
an  end  to  my  chance  of  opening  the  gates  for  your  triumphal 
entry.  I  was  tied,  neck  and  heels,  and  flung  here,  to  be  gib- 
beted to-morrow  morning.  But  that  morning  has  not  come 
yet." 

He  paced  tjje  cell  uneasily.     At  length  he  sprang  up,  and 

239 


Gbou  Cill  f  Come 


vibe  Beeauit  looking  from  the  loophole,  whispered,  "  Now ! "  A  low 
creaking  sound  of  machinery  followed. 

"Down  into  the  cavern,"  said  he;  "that  accursed  cohort 
has  moved  at  last.  Away,  my  prince,  and  seek  your  fortune." 

I  exhibited  some  reluctance  to  be  engulfed  again.  But  his 
countenance  assumed  a  sudden  sternness.  His  only  word  was, 
"  Down !  " 

As  we  were  parting  he  solemnly  pronounced :  "  May  what- 
ever power  befriends  the  righteous  cause,  and  blasts  the  man 
of  infamy  and  blood,  send  the  lightnings  before  you !  " 

Tears  stood  in  his  uplifted  eyes.  His  worn  countenance 
flushed  as  he  spoke  the  words.  He  seized  a  spear  from  a 
corner,  and  plunged  after  me  into  the  cavern. 

The  portcullis  had  been  drawn  up  by  Sabat;  the  passage 
opened  at  the  foot  of  the  rampart.  I  could  have  rushed  upon 
an  army.  But  the  hand  of  our  guide  was  on  my  shoulder. 

"Your  attack,"  said  he,  "can  be  nothing,  unless  it  be  a 
surprise.  Move  along  unseen,  if  possible,  *-:il  you  come  to 
the  flank  of  the  first  tower.  There  wait  xor  my  signal !  " 
He  was  gone. 

The  roar  of  the  assault  swelled  again,  tho  it  was  cer- 
tainly receding.  I  climbed  the  rampart  alone.  The  torches 
on  a  distant  battlement  showed  me  the  Romans  in  force,  and 
evidently  making  way.  I  could  restrain  myself  no  longer.  I 
gave  the  word — concealed  by  the  shadow  of  the  colossal  wall 
— fell  upon  the  guard  at  the  gate  and  cast  it  open !  Constan- 
tius  was  the  first  who  saw  me.  He  sprang  forward,  with  a 
cry  of  exultation.  The  Romans  on  the  battlement  feeling 
themselves  cut  off,  were  struck  with  panic,  and  threw  down 
their  arms ;  but  we  had  more  important  objects,  and  rushed 
back  to  the  citadel.  Our  work  was  not  yet  done ;  we  were 
entangled  in  the  streets  and  lost  time.  The  garrison  was 
strong,  and  fought  like  men  who  had  no  resource  but  in  the 
sword. 

We  were  pressed  on  all  sides;  an  arrow  lodged  in  my 
shoulder,  and  I  could  wield  the  ax  no  more.  In  a  few 
discharges,  every  man  round  me  was  bruised  or  bleeding.  I 
saw  a  Roman  column  hurrying  along  the  rampart,  whose 

240 


"  I  gave  the  word— fell  upon  the  guard  at  the  gate,  and 
cast  it  open  !  " 


Copyright,  1901,  by  Tank  A  VF»n  ,  ,a  London. 


Sbou  Silt  1  Come 


Sbc  B0MUU 

'•I i 
has 

1  exhih 
eounteiiii 
"Dowi, 

A  M    \\  f 

ever  power 
of  infai: 

Tears  stood  in  h 
flushed  as  .h 
corner,  and  plui: 

'''n<>  I><(  Sa     ;  .  the   p« 

opt-lH-d  ; 

an  anny. 

-  V.. 


H?  J6   blBUX 


• 

tin       ' '  ;    - 

•  xiiltulioii.      The    • 
••  --  i  i;l    off,  • 
.  -  :    hut  \vc 
•.'•••   citadel.      <>u- 

H    tin-    stn  •. 

-••:ll,'ht       li 

i.'f.ss«'fl  on  all  si 

: 


Copyright,  1901,  by  Funk  A  \V  agnails  Company,  N.  Y.  and  London. 


prisoners  in  a  Xabgrintb 


charge  must  finish  the  battle  at  once.  But  a- blaze  sprang  up  toaster  of 
in  the  rear  of  the  enemy.  Another  and  another  followed. 
The  governor's  palace  was  on  fire!  The  sight  broke  the 
Roman  courage.  Cries  of  "treachery"  rang  through  the 
ranks;  they  turned,  flung  away  spear  and  shield — and  I  was 
master  of  the  strongest  fortress  in  Palestine ! 


10  241 


CHAPTER  XXX 

The  Revenge  of  a  Victor 

RESISTANCE  was  at  an  end,  and  we  had  now  only  to  prevent 
the  conflagration  from  snatching  the  prize  out  of  our  hands. 
The  flames  rose  fiercely,  and  another  hour  might  see  the  fa- 
mous arsenal  beyond  the  power  of  man.  Leaving  to  Con- 
stantius  the  care  of  securing  the  prisoners,  I  entered  the 
palace,  followed  by  a  detachment.  In  the  tumult  I  had 
missed  my  deliverer,  yet  scarcely  could  think  of  him,  or  any- 
thing else,  while  the  enemy  were  showering  lances  and  shafts 
upon  us.  But  now,  some  fears  of  his  extravagance  recurred 
to  me,  and  I  ordered  strict  search  to  be  made  for  him.  The 
fire  had  seized  on  but  a  wing  of  the  palace  and  was  soon  ex- 
tinguished. I  was  ascending  the  stairs  when  a  figure  bounded 
full  against  me  from  a  side  door.  It  was  the  beggar.  His 
voice,  however,  was  my  only  means  of  recognition,  for  his 
outward  man  had  undergone  a  total  change.  He  wore  a  rich 
cuirass  and  helmet,  a  Greek  falchion  glittered  in  his  embroid- 
ered belt,  a  tissued  mantle  hung  over  his  shoulder,  and  a 
spear  ponderous,  but  inlaid  and  polished  with  the  nicest  art, 
was  brandished  in  his  hand. 

"What,"  said  he,  "is  all  over?  May  all  the  fogs  of  earth 
and  skies  cloud  me,  but  I  was  born  under  the  most  malignant 
planet  that  ever  did  mischief ;  I  left  you  only  to  do  some  busi- 
ness of  my  own ;  I  failed  there.  My  next  business  was  to  join 
and  help  you  to  give  a  lesson  to  those  Roman  hounds ;  or,  if 
they  were  to  give  the  lesson  to  us,  take  chance  along  with 
you  and  exhibit  as  a  soldier.  I  ventured  to  borrow  the  gov- 
ernor's arms,  as  you  see,  but  I  am  always  unlucky." 

"  If  it  was  you  who  set  this  roof  on  fire,  your  torch  was 
worth  an  army." 

"  Aye,  I  never  saw  fire  fail ;  no  man  is  ashamed  of  running 

243 


IRevenge  of  a  Dictor 


away  from  a  blaze ;  and  I  thought  that  the  Romans  were  tired 
enough,  to  be  glad  of  the  excuse.  But  I  had  a  point  besides 
to  carry.  Florus  is  somewhere  under  these  ceilings.  I  deter- 
mined to  burn  him  out,  and  pay  home  my  long  arrear,  as  he 
attempted  to  make  his  escape.  But  you  have  just  extin- 
guished the  cleverest  earthly  contrivance  for  the  discovery  of 
rascal  governors,  and  I  must  break  an  oath  I  made  long  ago, 
against  his  ever  dying  in  his  bed." 

"  Florus  here !  then  we  must  find  him  without  delay.  But 
who  comes?  " 

At  the  word  I  seized  a  slave  of  the  palace,  attempting  to 
escape.  He  begged  hard  for  his  life,  and  promised  to  con- 
duct us  where  the  procurator  was  concealed.  We  hurried  on 
through  a  succession  of  winding  passages ;  a  strong  door 
stopped  us. 

"There,"  said  the  slave. 

"  By  the  beard  of  my  fathers,  the  wolf  shall  not  be  long  in 
his  den !  "  cried  the  son  of  El  Hakim.  "  Procurator,  your 
last  crime  is  committed." 

He  threw  himself  against  the  door  with  prodigious  force ; 
the  bars  burst  away,  and  before  us  lay  the  terror  of  Judea. 

He  was  to  be  a  terror,  no  more.  A  cup,  the .  inseparable 
amethystine  cup,  stood  on  the  table  beside  his  couch.  He  lay 
writhing  in  pain.  His  countenance  wore  the  ghastliest  hue 
of  death.  I  bade  him  surrender.  He  smiled,  took  the  cup  in 
his  trembling  hand,  and  eagerly  swallowed  the  remaining 
drops  in  its  bottom. 

"  What !  poison !  "  exclaimed  my  companion ;  "  has  the 
villain  escaped  me?  Here  is  my  planet  again ;  never  was  man 
so  unlucky.  But  he  is  not  dead  yet." 

He  drew  his  falchion,  and  lifted  it  up  with  the  look  of  one 
about  to  offer  a  solemn  sacrifice.  I  seized  his  arm. 

"He  is  dying,"  said  I;  "he  is  beyond  earthly  vengeance." 

The  wretched  criminal  before  us  was  nearly  insensible  to  his 
brief  preservation.  The  poison,  acting  upon  a  frame  already 
broken  with  public  and  private  anxieties,  was  making  quick 
work,  and  the  glazed  eye,  the  fallen  countenance,  and  the  col- 
lapsed limb  showed  that  his  last  hour  was  come. 

243 


atb«:J6et>  "And  this  is  the  thing,"  soliloquized  the  son  of  El  Hakim, 
"that  men  feared!  In  this  senseless  flesh  was  the  power  to 
make  the  free  tremble  for  their  freedom,  and  the  slave  curse 
the  hour  that  he  was  born.  This  mass  of  mortality  could 
stand  between  me  and  happiness  — could  make  me  a  beggar,  a 
wanderer,  miserable,  mad !  " 

He  caught  up  the  hand  that  hung  nerveless  from  the 
couch. 

"  Accursed  hand !  "  exclaimed  he,  "  what  torrents  of  blood 
have  owed  their  flowing  to  thee !  A  word  written  by  these 
fingers  cost  a  thousand  lives.  And,  O  Heaven  !  in  this  crnt-1 
grasp  was  the  key  of  thy  dungeon,  my  Mary ! — that  dungeon 
of  more  than  the  body,  the  hideous  prison-house  that  extin- 
guished thy  mind !  " 

He  let  fall  the  hand  and  wept  bitterly. 

To  my  utter  surprise  the  procurator  started  upon  his  feet, 
and  with  the  look  that  had  so  often  made  the  heart  quake, 
haughtily  demanded  who  we  were,  and  how  we  dared  to  in- 
terrupt his  privacy?  I  felt  as  if  a  spirit  had  started  up  before 
me  from  the  shroud.  But  this  extraordinary  revival  was  mere- 
ly the  last  effort  of  a  fierce  mind.  He  tottered,  and  was  fall- 
ing, when  my  companion  darted  forward,  grasped  him  by  the 
bosom  with  one  hand,  and  waving  th'e  falchion  above  him  with 
the  other — 

"  He  hears !  he  sees !  "  exclaimed  he  exultingly.  "  Who 
are  we?  Who  am  I?  Look  upon  me,  Gessius  Florus, 
before  the  sight  leaves  your  eyes  forever.  See  Sabat  the 
Ishmaelite,  the  despised,  the  insulted,  the  trampled,  the 
undone!  But  never  did  you  prosper  from  the  hour  of  my 
ruin.  1  was  your  spy,  but  it  was  only  to  bring  you  into  a 
snare ;  I  fed  your  pride,  but  it  was  only  that  it  might  turn 
the  hearts  of  all  men  against  you ;  I  tempted  your  avarice, 
only  that  wealth  might  make  your  nights  sleepless,  and  your 
days,  days  of  fear ;  I  roused  your  wrath  into  rage ;  I  inflamed 
your  ambition  into  frenzy !  This  night,  I  led  your  conquerors 
upon  you.  But  I  had  made  all  sure.  In  another  week,  Ges- 
sius Florus,  if  you  had  escaped  this  sword,  you  would  have 
been  seized  by  order  of  the  Emperor,  stripped  of  your  wealth, 

344 


IRevenge  of  a  IDictor 


your  accursed  power,  and  your  wretched  life.     The  command  Ube  Change  fn 
for  your  blood  is  this  night  crossing  the  Mediterranean !  " 

The  dying  man  struggled  to  get  free,  wrenched  himself  by 
a  violent  effort  from  the  strong  grasp  that  at  once  held  and 
sustained  him,  and  fell.  He  was  dead! 

The  son  of  El  Hakim  stood  gazing  on  the  body  in  silence, 
when  the  glitter  of  a  ring  on  the  hand,  as  it  lay  spread  upon 
the  floor,  struck  his  eye.  He  seized  it  with  an  outcry;  the 
man  was  wholly  changed;  his  frowning  visage  flashed  with 
joy.  I  in  vain  demanded  the  cause.  He  pressed  the  signet 
to  his  lips. 

"Farewell,  farewell,"  he  exclaimed. 

"  Will  you  not  wait  for  your  share  of  the  spoil,  your  ample 
and  deserved  reward?  " 

"  Farewell !  "  he  repeated,  and  burst  from  the  chamber. 

This  memorable  night  made  changes  in  more  than  the  Ish- 
maelite.  Constantius  was  at  last  in  his  element.  I  had 
hitherto  seen  him  disguised  by  circumstances;  the  fugitive 
from  his  country,  the  lover  under  the  embarrassments  of  for- 
bidden passion,  the  ill-starred  soldier.  His  native  vigor  of 
soul  was  under  a  perpetual  cloud.  But  now  the  cloud  broke 
away,  and  the  consciousness  of  having  nobly  retrieved  his 
check,  and  the  still  prouder  consciousness  of  the  career  that 
this  triumph  laid  open  before  him,  brought  the  character  of 
his  mind  into  full  light.  He  was  now  the  lofty  enthusiast 
that  nature  made  him.  He  breathed  generous  ambition ;  his 
step  was  the  step  of  command ;  and  when  he  rushed  to  my 
embrace  with  almost  the  eagerness  of  a  boy,  and  a  voice  stifled 
with  emotion,  I  saw  in  him  the  romance,  the  soaring  spirit, 
and  the  passionate  love  of  glory  that  molded  the  Greek  hero. 

He  had  done  his  duty  nobly.  All  were  in  admiration  of 
the  assault.  The  Romans  had  been  fully  prepared.  He 
scaled  the  rampart,  and  scaled  it  in  their  teeth.  His  men 
followed  gallantly.  He  pressed  on ;  the  second  rampart  was 
stormed.  I  had  found  him  at  the  foot  of  the  third,  checked 
by  its  impregnable  mass,  but  defying  the  whole  garrison  to 
drive  him  back.  When  I  afterward  saw  the  strength  of  those 
bulwarks,  I  felt  that  with  such  a  leader  at  the  head  of  troops 

245 


tTbou  CUl  fl  Come 


Saiatbfci/ftcctfl  animated  by  his  spirit,  there  was  nothing  extravagant  in  the 
boldest  hope  of  war. 

This  was  an  eventful  night,  and  there  was  still  much  to  be 
done  before  we  slept.  I  threw  over  my  tattered  garments  one 
of  the  many  mantles  that  lay  loose  round  the  chamber,  flung 
another  on  the  body  of  the  procurator,  and  sallied  forth  to 
give  the  final  orders  of  the  night.  The  prisoners  had  been 
already  secured,  and  I  found  the  great  hall  of  the  palaee 
crowded  with  centurions.  The  interview  was  whimsical ;  for 
a  while  I  escaped  recognition ;  the  gashed  faces  and  torn  rai- 
ment of  my  hunters,  which  bore  the  marks  of  our  dreary 
march  through  the  subterranean;  the  rough  heads  and  bands 
stained  with  the  fight,  a  startling  contrast  to  the  perfect 
equipment  of  the  Roman  under  all  circumstances,  gave  them 
the  look  of  the  robber  tribes.  My  disguise  was  in  the  con- 
trary way,  yet  complete.  The  cloak  was  accidentally  one  of 
the  most  showy  in  the  procurator's  wardrobe.  I  found  my- 
self enveloped  in  furs  and  tissues;  and  their  Arab  acquain- 
tance was  forgotten  in  what  seemed  to  them  the  legitimate 
monarch  of  the  mountains. 

I  was  received  by  the  circle  of  captives  with  the  decent 
dignity  of  the  brave.  There  was  but  one  exception,  which  I 
might  have  guessed— the  tribune.  He  was  all  humiliation, 
stooped  to  make  some  abject  request  about  his  baubles,  and 
was  probably  on  the  point  of  apologizing  for  his  ever  having 
taken  up  the  trade  of  war,  when  I  turned  on  my  heel  and 
shook  hands  with  my  old  friend  the  captain.  He  looked  in 
evident  perplexity.  At  last,  through  even  the  grim  evidences 
of  the  night's  work  on  my  countenance,  and  the  problem  of 
my  pompous  mantle,  his  brightening  eye  began  to  recognize 
me,  and  he  burst  out  with:  "The  Arab,  by  Jupiter!"  But 
when  I  asked  him  what  had  become  of  his  baggage,  I  touched 
a  tender  string,  and,  with  a  countenance  as  grave  as  if  he  had 
sustained  an  irreparable  calamity,  he  told  me  that  his  whole 
traveling  cellar  was  in  the  hands  of  my  men,  and  it  was  his 
full  belief  that  he  was  at  that  moment  not  worth  a  flask  in 
the  wide  world! 

The  tribune  turned  away  in  conscious  disgrace,  and  I  sent 

246 


"Revenge  of  a  Dfctor 


him  to  a  dungeon  to  meditate  till  morn  on  the  awkwardness  of  Ube  Brmon? 
insolence  to  strangers.  With  the  others,  I  sat  down  to  such 
entertainment  as  a  sacked  fortress  could  supply,  but  which 
hunger,  thirst,  and  fatigue  rendered  worth  all  the  banquets 
of  the  idle.  The  old  captain  cheered  his  soul  and  grew  rhe- 
torical. 

"Wine,"  said  he,  flask  in  hand,  "does  wonders.  It  is  the 
true  leveler,  for  it  leaves  no  troublesome  inequality  of  condi- 
tions. It  is  the  true  sponge  that  pays  all  debts  at  sight,  for 
it  makes  us  forget  the  existence  of  a  creditor.  It  is  the  true 
friend  that  sticks  by  a  man  to  the  last  drop ;  the  faithful 
mistress  that  forsakes  no  man ;  and  the  most  charming  of 
wives,  whose  tongue  no  husband  hears,  whose  company  is 
equally  delightful  at  all  hours,  and  who  is  as  bewitching  to- 
day as  she  was  fifty  years  ago." 

The  panegyric  was  popular.  The  governor's  cellar  flowed. 
The  Italian  connoisseurship  in  vintages  was  displayed  in  the 
most  profound  style,  and  long  before  we  parted  the  great 
"  sponge  "  which  wipes  away  debt  had  wiped  away  every  recol- 
lection of  defeat.  The  idea  of  their  being  prisoners  never 
clouded  a  sunbeam  that  came  from  the  bottle.  The  letters 
scattered  from  the  tribune's  saddle  were  an  unfailing  topic. 
The  legion  had  picked  them,  up  on  the  march ;  they  had  the 
piquancy  of  the  scandal  of  particular  friends ;  and  the  addi- 
tion made  to  their  intelligence  by  niy  wild  associate  was  unan- 
imously declared  the  most  dexterous  piece  of  frolic,  the 
most  pleasant  venom,  and  the  most  venomous  pleasantry,  that 
ever  emanated  from  the  wit  of  man. 

My  task  was  not  yet  done.  I  left  those  gay  soldiers  to 
their  wine,  and  with  Constantius  and  some  torch-bearers  has- 
tened to  the  Armory  of  Herod — the  forbidden  ground;  the 
treasure-house  of  war ;  and,  if  old  rumor  were  to  be  believed, 
the  place  of  many  a  mysterious  celebration  unlawful  to  be 
seen  by  human  eyes. 

The  building  was  in  the  center  of  the  citadel,33  and  was  of 
the  stateliest  architecture.  The  massive  doors  were  now 
thrown  open.  At  the  first  step,  I  shrank  from  the  blaze  of 
steel  and  gold  that  shot  back  against  the  torches.  The  walls 

247 


Carrg  Cbou  Gill  I  Come 


irbc  Secret  of  this  gigantic  hall  were  covered  with  arms  and  armor  of 
every  nation  —  cuirasses,  Persian,  Roman,  and  Greek;  the 
plate  mail  of  the  Gaul ;  the  Indian  chain-armor ;  innumerable 
headpieces,  from  the  steel  cap  of  the  Scythian  to  the  plumed 
and  triple -crested  helmet  of  the  Greek,  that  richest  combina- 
tion of  strength  and  beauty  ever  borne  by  soldiership ;  shields 
of  every  shape  and  sculpture;  the  Greek  orb,  the  Persian 
rhomb,  the  Cimmerian  crescent ;  all  arms  —  the  ponderous 
spear  of  the  phalanx;  the  Thracian  pike;  the  German  \v;u- 
hatchet;  the  Italian  javelin;  the  bow,  from  the  Nubian,  twice 
the  height  of  man,  to  the  small  half -circle  of  the  Assyrian 
cavalry ;  swords,  the  broad -bladed  and  fearful  falchion  of  the 
Roman,  every  thrust  of  which  let  out  a  life;  the  huge  two- 
handed  sword  of  the  Baltic  tribes ;  the  Syrian  simitar ;  the 
Persian  acinaces ;  the  deep-hilted  knife  of  the  Indian  islander ; 
the  Arab  poniard ;  the  serrated  blade  of  the  African — all  were 
there  in  their  richest  models,  the  collection  of  Herod's  life. 
War  had  raised  him  to  a  rank  which  allowed  the  indulgence 
of  his  most  lavish  tastes  of  good  and  ill ;  the  sword  was  his 
true  scepter,  and  never  king  bore  the  sign  of  his  sovereignty 
more  royally  emblazoned. 

After  long  admiration  of  this  display  of  the  wealth  dearest 
to  the  soldier,  I  was  retiring,  when  a  slave  approached,  and 
prostrating  himself,  told  me  that  a  hall  remained,  still  more 
singular,  "the  hall  in  which  the  great  Herod  received  his 
death- warning. " 

I  gazed  round  the  armory ;  there  was  no  door  but  the  one 
by  which  we  had  entered — 

"Not  here,"  said  the  Ethiopian,  "yet  it  is  beside  us.  The 
foot  of  a  Roman  has  never  entered  it.  The  secret  remains  with 
me  alone.  Does  my  lord  command  that  it  shall  be  revealed?  " 

The  order  was  given.  The  slave  took  down  one  of  the  coats 
of  mail,  pushed  back  a  valve,  and  we  entered  a  winding  stair 
which  led  us  downward  for  some  minutes.  The  narrow  pas- 
sage and  heavy  air  reminded  me  of  the  subterranean.  Our 
torches  burned  dimly,  and  the  visages  of  my  attendants 
showed  how  little  their  gallantry  was  to  be  relied  on,  if  we 
were  to  be  brought  into  contact  with  magic  and  ghosts. 

248 


IRevcnge  of  a  IDictor 


"Here,"  said  the  Ethiopian,  "it  was  the  custom  of  the  great  Ube  Skeleton 
king  in  his  declining  years,  when  his  heart  was  broken  by  the 
loss  of  the  most  beloved  of  wives,  and  maddened  by  the  con- 
spiracies of  the  princes,  his  sons,  to  come  and  consult  others 
than  the  God  of  Jerusalem.  Here  the  Chaldee  men  of  wis- 
dom came  to  summon  the  spirits  of  the  departed  and  show  the 
fates  of  kingdoms.  We  are  now  in  the  bowels  of  the  moun- 
tain." 

He  loosed  a  chain,  which  disappeared  into  the  ground  with  • 
a  hollow  noise.     A  huge  mass  of  rock  slowly  rolled  back,  and 
showed  a  depth  of  darkness  through  which  our  twinkling 
torches  scarcely  made  way. 

"Stop,"  said  the  slave;  "I  should  have  first  lighted  the 
shrine." 

He  left  us,  and  we  shortly  saw  a  blaze  of  many  colors 
on  a  tripod  in  the  center.  As  the  blaze  strengthened,  a 
scene  of  wonder  awoke  before  the  eye.  A  host  of  armed 
statues  grew  upon  the  darkness.  The  immense  vault  was 
peopled  with  groups  of  warriors,  all  the  great  military  leaders 
of  the  world  in  their  native  arms,  and  surrounded  by  a  cluster 
of  their  captains ;  the  disturbers  of  the  earth,  from  Sesostris 
down  to  Caesar  and  Antony,  brandishing  the  lance  or  reining 
the  charger,  each  in  his  known  attitude  of  command.  There 
rushed  Cyrus  in  the  scythed  chariot,  surrounded  by  his  horse- 
men, barbed  from  head  to  foot.  There  was  to  be  seen  Alex- 
ander, with  the  banner  of  Macedon  waving  above  his  head, 
and  armed  as  when  he  leaped  into  the  Granicus ;  there  Han- 
nibal, upon  the  elephant  that  he  rode  at  Cannae ;  there  Caesar, 
with  the  head  of  Pompey  at  his  feet.  Those,  and  a  long 
succession  of  the  masters  of  victory,  each  in  the  moment  of 
supreme  fortune,  made  the  vault  a  representative  palace  of 
human  glory.  But  the  view  from  the  entrance  told  but  half 
the  tale.  It  was  when  I  advanced  and  lifted  the  torch  to  the 
countenance  of  the  first  group  that  the  moral  was  visible. 
All  the  visages  were  those  of  skeletons.  The  costly  armor 
was  hung  upon  bones.  The  spears  and  scepters  were  bran- 
dished by  the  thin  fingers  of  the  grave.  The  vault  was  the 
representative  sepulcher  of  human  vanity.  This  was  one  of 

249 


£bou  Sill  1  Come 


the  fantastic  fits  of  a  mind  which  felt  too  late  the  emptiness 
of  earthly  honors.  Half  pagan,  the  powerful  intellect  of  the 
man  gave  way  to  the  sullen  superstitions  of  the  murderer. 
Egypt  was  still  the  mystic  tyrant  of  Palestine,  and  Herod,  in 
his  despair,  sank  into  the  slave  of  a  credulity  at  once  weak 
and  terrible. 

In  the  last  hours  of  a  long  and  deeply  varied  life,  exhausted 
more  by  misery  of  soul  than  disease,  when  medicine  was  hope- 
less, and  he  had  returned  from  trying  the  famous  springs  of 
Callirhoe  in  vain,  the  king  ordered  himself  to  be  brought  into 
this  vault,  and  left  alone.  He  remained  in  it  during  some 
hours.  The  attendants  were  at  length  roused  by  hideous 
wailings ;  they  broke  open  the  entrance,  and  found  him  in  a 
paroxysm  of  terror.  The  vault  was  filled  with  the  strong 
odors  of  some  magical  preparations,  still  burning  on  the 
tripod.  The  sound  of  departing  feet  was  heard,  but  Herod 
sat  alone.  In  accents  of  the  wildest  wo  he  declared  that  he 
had  seen  the  statues  filled  with  sudden  life,  and  charging  him 
with  the  death  of  his  wife  and  children. 

He  left  Masada  instantly,  pronouncing  a  curse  upon  the 
hour  in  which  he  first  listened  to  the  arts  of  Egypt.  He  was 
carried  to  Jericho,  and  there  laid  on.  a  bed,  from  which  he 
never  rose.  Alternate  bursts  of  blasphemy  and  remorse  made 
his  parting  moments  frightful.  But  tyranny  was  in  his  last 
thought,  and  he  died,  holding  in  his  hand  an  order  for  the 
massacre  of  every  leading  man  in  Judea. 


250 


CHAPTER  XXXI 

The  'Difficulties  of  a  Leader 

THE  first  decided  blow  of  the  war  was  given.  I  had  in-  Ube 
curred  the  full  wrath  of  Rome ;  the  trench  between  ine  and 
forgiveness  was  impassable,  and  I  felt  a  stern  delight  in  the 
conviction  that  hope  of  truce  or  pardon  was  at  an  end ;  the 
seizure  of  Masada  was  a  defiance  of  the  whole  power  of  the 
empire.  But  it  had  the  higher  importance  of  a  triumph  at 
the  beginning  of  a  war,  the  moment  when  even  the  courageous 
are  perplexed  by  doubt,  and  the  timid  watch  their  opportunity 
to  raise  the  cry  of  ill  fortune.  It  showed  the  facility  of  con- 
quest, where  men  are  determined  to  run  the  full  risk  of  good 
or  evil;  it  shook  the  military  credit  of  the  enemy,  by  the 
proof  that  they  could  be  overmatched  in  activity,  spirit,  and 
conduct.  The  capture  of  a  Roman  fortress  by  assault  was  a 
thing  almost  unheard  of.  But  the  consummate  value  of  the 
enterprise  was,  in  its  declaration  to  those  who  would  fight, 
that  they  had  leaders,  able  and  willing  to  take  the  last  chance 
with  them  for  the  freedom  of  their  country. 

When  day  broke  and  the  strength  of  this  celebrated  fortress 
was  fairly  visible,  I  could  scarcely  believe  that  our  success 
was  altogether  the  work  of  man.  The  genius  of  ancient  forti- 
fication produced  nothing  more  remarkable  than  Masada.  It 
stood  on  the  summit  of  a  height  so  steep  that  the  sun  never 
reached  the  bottom  of  the  surrounding  defiles.  Its  outer  wall 
was  a  mile  round,  with  thirty-eight  towers,  each  eighty  feet 
high.  Immense  marble  cisterns;  granaries  like  palaces,  ca- 
pable of  holding  provisions  for  years ;  exhaustless  arms  and 
military  engines,  in  buildings  of  the  finest  Greek  art ;  defenses 
of  the  most  costly  skill  at  every  commanding  point  of  the 
interior — all  showed  the  kingly  magnificence  and  warlike  care 

251 


Cbou  Cill  fl  Come 


TTbc  E)utk0  of  of  the  most  brilliant,  daring,  and  successful  monarch  of  Ju- 
Commatrt 


By  the  first  dawn  a  new  wonder  struck  the  population, 
whom  the  tumult  of  the  night  had  gathered  on  the  neighbor- 
ing hills.  I  ordered  the  great  standard  of  Naphtali  to  be 
hoisted  on  the  citadel.  It  was  raised  amid  shouts  and  hymns, 
and  the  huge  scarlet  folds  spread  out,  majestically  displaying 
the  emblem  of  our  tribe,  the  Silver  Stag,  before  the  morn. 
Shouts  echoed  and  reechoed  round  the  horizon.  The  hill- 
tops, covered  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  did  homage  to 
the  banner  of  Jewish  deliverance,  and  inspired  by  the  sight, 
every  man  of  their  thousands  took  sword  and  spear  and  made 
ready  for  war. 

My  first  care  was  to  relieve  the  anxieties  of  my  family,  and 
Constantius,  with  triumph  in  every  feature,  and  love  and 
honor  glowing  in  his  heart,  was  made  the  bearer  of  the  glad 
tidings.  The  duties  of  command  now  devolved  rapidly  on 
me.  An  army  to  be  raised,  a  plan  of  operations  to  be  deter- 
mined on,  the  chieftains  of  the  country  to  be  combined,  and 
the  profligate  feuds  of  Jerusalem  to  be  extinguished,  were  the 
difficulties  that  lay  before  my  first  step.  It  is  in  preliminaries 
like  these  that  the  burning  spirit  of  a  man,  full  of  the  manli- 
est resolutions  and  caring  no  more  for  personal  safety  than 
he  cares  for  the  weed  .under  his  feet,  is  fated  to  feel  the  true 
troubles  of  enterprise. 

I  soon  experienced  the  disgust  of  having  to  contend  with 
the  indolent,  the  artful,  and  the  base.  My  mind,  eager  to 
follow  up  the  first  success,  was  entangled  in  tedious  and  in- 
tricate negotiation  with  men  whom  no  sense  of  right  or  wrong 
could  stimulate  to  integrity.  Rival  interests  to  be  conciliated, 
gross  corruption  to  be  crushed,  paltry  passions  to  be  stig- 
matized, family  hatreds  to  be  reconciled,  childish  antipa- 
thies, grasping  avarice,  giddy  ambition,  savage  cruelty,  to  be 
rectified,  propitiated,  or  punished,  were  among  my  tasks 
before  I  could  plant  a  foot  in  the  field.  If  those  are  the 
fruits  that  grow  round  even  the  righteous  cause,  what  must 
be  the  rank  crop  of  conspiracy? 

But  one  point  I  speedily  settled.     The  first  assemblage  of 


Difficulties  of  a 


the  chieftains  satisfied  me  as  to  the  absurdity  of  councils  of 
war.  Every  man  had  his  plan,  and  every  plan  had  some  per- 
sonal object  in  view.  I  saw  that  to  discuss  them  would  be 
useless  and  endless.  I  had  already  begun  to  learn  the  diplo- 
matic art  of  taking  my  own  way  with  the  most  unruffled  as- 
pect. I  desired  the  proposers  to  reduce  their  views  to  wri- 
ting, received  their  memorials  with  perfect  civility,  took  them 
to  my  cabinet,  and  gave  their  brilliancy  to  add  to  the  blaze  of 
my  fire.  High  station  is  soon  compelled  to  dissemble.  A 
month  before  I  should  have  spoken  out  my  mind  and  treated 
the  plans  and  the  proposers  alike  with  scorn.  But  a  month 
before  I  was  neither  general  nor  statesman.  Freed  now  from 
the  encumbrance  of  many  councilors,  I  decided  on  a  rapid 
march  to  Jerusalem 34 — there  was  power  and  glory  in  the  word. 
By  this  measure  I  should  be  master  of  all  that  final  victory 
could  give,  the  popular  mind,  the  national  resources,  and  the 
highest  prize  of  the  most  successful  war. 

Those  thoughts  banished  rest  from  my  pillow.  I  passed 
day  and  night  in  a  perpetual,  feverish  exaltation  of  mind ;  yet 
if  I  were  to  compute  my  few  periods  of  happiness,  among 
them  would  be  the  week  when  I  could  neither  eat,  drink,  nor 
sleep,  from  the  mere  overflowing  of  my  warlike  reveries  at 
Masada.  We  may  well  forgive  the  splenetic  apathy  and  sullen 
scorn  of  life  that  beset  the  holder  of  power,  when  time  or 
chance  leaves  his  grasp  empty.  The  mighty  monarch ;  the 
general,  on  whose  sword  hung  the  balance  of  empires;  the 
statesman,  on  whose  council  rose  or  fell  the  welfare  of  mil- 
lions, sunk  into  the  unexciting  employments  of  common  life, 
their  genius  and  their  fame  a  burden  and  a  reproach,  the 
source  of  a  restless  and  indignant  contrast  between  what  they 
were  and  what  they  are ;  how  feeble  an  emblem  of  such  minds 
is  the  lion  fanged  or  the  eagle  chained !  We  may  pass  by 
even  the  frivolities  which  so  often  make  the  world  stare  at  the 
latter  years  of  famous  men.  When  they  can  no  longer  soar  to 
their  natural  height,  all  beneath  is  equal  to  them ;  our  petty 
wisdom  is  not  worth  their  trouble.  They  scorn  the  little  opin- 
ions of  commonplace  mankind,  and  follow  their  own  tastes, 
contemptuously  trifle  and  proudly  play  the  fool. 

253 


vlarr£  Cbou  GUI  1f  Come 


Saiatbici  xeai>e  Before  the  week  was  done,  I  Avas  at  the  head  of  a  hundred 
irrcction  |)}lousan(j  men .  j  was  the  champion  of  a  great  country ;  the 
leader  of  the  most  formidable  insurrection  that  ever  contended 
with  Rome  in  the  east;  the  general  of  an  army  whose  fidelity 
and  spirit  were  not  to  be  surpassed  on  earth.  Could  ambition 
ask  more?  Yet  there  was  even  more,  tho  too  solemn  to  be 
asked  by  human  ambition.  My  nation  was  sacred ;  a  cause 
above  human  nature  was  to  be  defended ;  in  that  cause  I  might 
at  once  redeem  my  own  name  from  obscurity,  and  be  the  in- 
strument of  exalting  the  name,  authority,  and  religion  of  a 
people,  the  regal  people  of  the  Sovereign  of  all ! 

Constantius  returned.  It  was  in  vain  that  I  had  directed 
my  family  to  take  refuge  in  the  mountain  country  of  Naph- 
tali.  My  authority  was  for  once  disputed  at  home.  Strong 
affection  mastered  fear,  and  swift  as  love  could  speed,  I  saw 
them  enter  the  gates  of  Masada. 

Such  meetings  can  come  but  once  in  a  life.  I  was  sur- 
rounded by  innocent  fondness,  beauty  most  admirable,  and 
faith  that  no  misfortunes  could  shake ;  and  I  was  surrounded 
by  them  in  an  hour  when  prosperity  seemed  laboring  to 
lavish  on  me  all  the  wishes  of  man.  I  felt,  too,  by  the 
glance  with  which  Miriam  looked  upon  her  "hero,"  that  I  had 
earned  a  higher  title  to  the  world's  respect.  Had  she  found 
me  in  chains,  she  would  have  shared  them  without  a  murmur. 
But  her  lofty  heart  rejoiced  to  find  her  husband  thus  vindica- 
ting his  claims  to  the  homage  of  mankind. 

Yet  to  those  matchless  enjoyments  I  gave  up  but  one  day. 
By  the  next  dawn,  the  trumpet  sounded  for  the  march.  I 
knew  the  importance  of  following  up  the  first  blow  in  all 
wars — its  matchless  importance  in  a  war  of  insurrection.  To 
meet  the  disciplined  troops  of  Rome  in  pitched  battles  would 
be  madness.  The  true  maneuver  was  to  distract  their  atten- 
tion by  variety  of  onset,  cut  off  their  communications,  keep 
their  camps  in  perpetual  alarm,  and  make  our  activity,  num- 
bers, and  knowledge  of  the  country  the  substitutes  for  equip- 
ment, experience,  and  the  science  of  the  soldier. 

In  summoning  those  brave  men,  I  renewed  the  regulations 
of  the  Mosaic  law 35 — a  law  whose  regard  for  natural  feelings 

254 


Difficulties  of  a  OLeaDer 


distinguished  it  in  the  most  striking  manner  from  the  stern     Bn  ©men 

violences  of  the  pagan  levy.     No  man  was  required  to  take  up 

arms  who  had  built  a  house  and  had  not  yet  dedicated  it ;  no 

man  who  had  planted  a  vineyard  or  olive  ground,  and  had  not 

yet  reaped  the  produce ;  no  man  who  had  betrothed  a  wife 

and  had  not  yet  taken  her  home;  and  no  man  during  the 

first  year  of  his  marriage. 

My  prisoners  were  my  last  embarrassment.  To  leave  them 
to  the  chance  of  popular  mercy,  or  to  leave  them  immured  in 
the  fortress,  would  be  cruelty.  To  let  them  loose  would  be, 
of  course,  to  give  so  many  soldiers  to  the  enemy.  I  adopted 
the  simpler  expedient  of  marching  them  to  Berytus,  seizing  a 
squadron  of  the  Roman  provision  ships,  and  embarking  the 
whole  for  Italy.  To  my  old  friend  the  captain,  whose  cheer- 
fulness could  be  abated  only  by  a  failure  of  the  vintage,  I 
offered  a  tranquil  settlement  among  our  hills.  The  etiquette 
of  soldiership  was  formidably  tasked  by  my  offer,  for  the 
veteran  was  thoroughly  weary  of  his  thankless  service.  He 
hesitated,  swore  that  I  deserved  to  be  a  Roman,  and  even 
a  captain  of  horse ;  but  finished  by  saying  that,  bad  a  trade  as 
the  army  Avas,  he  was  too  old  to  learn  a  better.  I  gave  him 
and  some  others  their  unconditional  liberty,  and  he  parted 
from  the  Jewish  rebel  with  more  obvious  regret  than  perhaps 
he  ever  dreamed  himself  capable  of  feeling  for  anything  but 
his  horse  and  his  Falernian. 

Eleazar  took  the  charge  of  my  family  and  the  command  of 
Masada.  The  sun  burst  out  with  cheerful  omen  on  the  troops, 
as  I  wound  down  the  steep  road,  named  the  Serpent,  from  its 
extreme  obliquity.  The  sight  before  me  was  of  a  nature  to 
exhilarate  the  heaviest  heart;  an  immense  host  making 
the  air  ring  with  acclamations  at  the  coming  of  their  chief- 
tain. The  mental  perspective  of  public  honors  and  national 
service  was  still  more  exalting.  Yet  I  felt  a  boding  depres- 
sion, as  if  within  those  walls  had  begun  and  ended  my  pros- 
perity ! 

On  the  first  ridge  which  crossed  our  march  I  instinctively 
stopped  to  give  a  farewell  look.  The  breeze  had  sunk,  and 
the  scarlet  banner  shook  out  its  folds  to  the  sun  no  more ;  a 

255 


Cbou  GUI  1F  Come 


•Cbc  flDarcbing  cloud  hung  on  the  mountain-peak  and  covered  the  fortress 
with  gloom.  I  turned  away.  The  omen  was  true. 

But  sickly  thoughts  were  forgotten  when  we  were  once 
fairly  on  the  march.  Who  that  has  ever  marched  with  an 
army  has  not  known  its  ready  cure  for  heaviness  of  heart? 
The  sound  of  the  moving  multitude,  their  broad  mirth,  the 
mere  trampling  of  their  feet,  the  picturesque  lights  that  fall 
upon  the  columns  as  they  pass  over  the  inequalities  of  the 
ground,  keep  the  oye  and  the  mind  singularly  alive. 

Our  men  felt  the  whole  delight  of  the  scene,  and  ran  about 
like  deer,  or  horses  let  loose  into  pasture.  But  to  the  military 
habits  of  Constantius  this  rude  vigor  was  the  highest  vexa- 
tion. He  galloped  from  flank  to  flank  with  hopeless  dili- 
gence, found  that  his  arrangements  only  perplexed  our  bold 
peasantry  the  more,  and  at  length  fairly  relinquished  the  idea 
of  gaining  any  degree  of  credit  by  the  brilliancy  of  their  dis- 
cipline. But  I,  no  more  a  tactician  than  themselves,  was 
content  with  seeing  in  them  the  material  of  the  true  sol- 
dier. The  spear  was  carried  awkwardly,  but  the  hand  that 
carried  it  was  strong;  the  march  was  irregular,  but  the 
step  was  firm;  if  there  were  song,  and  mirth,  and  clamor, 
they  were  the  cheerful  voices  of  the  brave;  and  I  could 
read  in  the  countenances  of  ranks  which  no  skill  could  keep 
in  order,  the  generous  devotedness  that,  in  wars  like  ours, 
have  so  often  baffled  the  proud  and  left  of  the  mighty  but 
clay. 

During  the  day  we  saw  no  enemy,  and  swept  along  with  the 
unembarrassed  step  of  men  going  up  to  one  of  our  festivals. 
The  march  was  hot ;  the  zeal  of  our  young  soldiers  made  it 
rapid,  and  we  continued  it  long  after  the  usual  hour  of  re- 
pose. But  then  sleep  took  its  thorough  revenge.  It  was 
fortunate  for  our  fame  that  the  enemy  was  not  nigh,  for 
sleep  fastened  irresistibly  and  at  once  upon  the  whole  multi- 
tude. Sentinels  were  planted  in  vain;  the  spears  fell  from 
their  hands,  and  the  watchers  were  tranquilly  laid  side  by  side 
with  the  slumbering.  Outposts  and  the  usual  precautionary 
arrangements  were  equally  useless.  Sleep  was  our  master. 
Constantius  exerted  his  vigilance  with  fruitless  activity,  and 

256 


Difficulties  of  a  XeaDcc 


before  an  hour  passed,  he  and  I  were  probably  the  sole  senti-    constanttua 
nels  of  the  grand  army  of  Judea. 

"What  can  be  done  with  such  sluggards?"  said  he  indig- 
nantly, pointing  to  the  heaps  that,  wrapped  in  their  cloaks, 
covered  the  fields  far  round,  and  in  the  moonlight  looked 
more  like  surges  tipped  with  foam  than  human  beings. 

"  What  can  be  done?     Wonders." 

"  Will  they  ever  be  able  to  maneuver  in  the  face  of  the 
legions?  " 

"Never." 

"  Will  they  ever  be  able  to  move  like  regular  troops?  " 

"Never." 

"  Will  they  ever  be  able  to  keep  their  eyes  open  after  sun- 
set? " 

"Never,  after  such  a  march  as  we  have  given  them  to-day." 

"  What,  then,  under  heaven,  will  they  be  good  for?  " 

"  To  beat  the  Romans  out  of  Palestine !  " 
17 


257 


CHAPTER  XXXII 

Shalt  Thou  Enter  Jerusalem" 

ppears  BEFORE  the  sun  was  up  my  peasants  were  on  the  march 
aSam-  From  the  annual  journeys  of  the  tribes  to  the  great 
city,  no  country  was  ever  known  so  well  to  its  whole  popula- 
tion, as  Palestine.  Every  hill,  forest,  and  mountain  stream 
was  now  saluted  with  a  shout  of  old  recognition.  Discipline 
was  forgotten  as  we  approached  those  spots  of  memory,  and 
the  troops  rambled  loosely  over  the  ground  on  which  in  gentler 
times  they  had  rested  in  the  midst  of  their  caravans.  Con- 
stantius  had  many  an  irritation  to  encounter,  but  I  combated 
his  wrath,  and  pledged  myself  that  when  the  occasion  arrived, 
my  countrymen  would  show  the  native  vigor  of  the  soil. 

"Let  my  peasants  take  their  way,"  said  I.  "If  they  will 
not  make  an  army,  let  them  make  a  mob ;  let  them  come  into 
the  field  with  the  bold  propensities  of  their  nature  unchecked 
by  the  trammels  of  regular  warfare ;  let  them  feel  themselves 
men  and  not  machines,  and  I  pledge  myself  for  their  victory. " 

"They  will  soon  have  the  opportunity;  look  yonder." 

He  pointed  to  a  low  range  of  misty  hills  some  miles  onward. 

"Are  we  to  fight  the  clouds,  for  I  can  see  nothing  else?  " 

"  Our  troops,  I  think,  would  be  exactly  the  proper  antago- 
nists. But  there  is  one  cloud  upon  those  hills  that  something 
more  than  the  wind  must  drive  away." 

The  sun  threw  a  passing  gleam  upon  the  heights,  and  it 
was  returned  by  the  sparkling  of  spears.  The  enemy  were 
before  us.  Constantius  galloped  with  some  of  our  hunters  to 
the  front,  to  observe  their  position.  The  trumpets  sounded, 
and  my  countrymen  justified  all  that  I  had  said  by  the  en- 
thusiasm that  lighted  up  every  countenance  at  the  hope  of 
coming  in  contact  with  the  oppressor. 

We  advanced ;  shouts  rang  from  tribe  to  tribe ;  we  quick- 

258 


Sbalt  Gbou  Bnter  3eru0alem 


ened  our  pace;  at  length  the  whole  multitude  ran.  At  the 
foot  of  the  height  every  man  pushed  forward  without  waiting 
for  his  fellow;  it  was  complete  confusion.  The  chief  force 
against  us  was  cavalry,  and  I  saw  them  preparing  to  charge. 
We  must  suffer  prodigiously,  let  the  day  end  how  it  would. 
The  whole  campaign  might  hang  on  the  first  repulse.  I  stood 
in  agony.  I  saw  the  squadrons  level  their  lances.  I  saw  the 
centurions  dash  out  in  front.  All  was  ready  for  the  fatal 
charge.  To  my  astonishment,  the  whole  of  the  cavalry 
wheeled  round  and  disappeared. 

The  panic  was  like  miracle — equally  rapid  and  unaccount- 
able. I  rode  to  the  top  of  the  hill  and  discovered  the  secret. 
Constantius,  observing  the  enemy's  attention  taken  up  with 
my  advance,  had  made  his  way  round  the  heights.  His 
trumpet  gave  the  first  notice  of  the  maneuver.  Their  rear  was 
threatened,  and  the  cavalry  fled,  leaving  a  cohort  in  our  hands. 

Never  was  successful  soldier  honored  with  a  more  clamorous 
triumph  than  Constantius.  Nature  speaks  out  among  her  un- 
tutored sons.  Envy  has  nothing  to  do  in  such  fields  as  ours. 
He  was  applauded  to  the  skies. 

"Well,"  said  I,  as  I  pressed  the  gallant  hand  that  had 
planted  the  first  laurel  on  our  brows,  "  you  see  that,  if  plow- 
men and  shepherds  make  rude  soldiers,  they  make  capital 
judges  of  soldiership.  You  might  have  conquered  a  kingdom 
without  receiving  half  this  panegyric  in  Rome." 

"The  service  is  but  begun,  and  we  shall  have  another  lesson 
to  get  or  give  to-morrow.  Those  fellows  are  grateful,  I.  al- 
low," said  he,  with  a  smile,  "but  you  must  confess  that,  for 
what  has  been  done,  we  have  to  thank  the  discipline  that 
brought  us  into  the  Roman  rear." 

"  Yes,  and  the  discipline  that  made  them  so  much  alarmed 
about  their  rear  as  to  run  away  when  they  might  have  charged 
and  beaten  us." 

This  little  affair  put  us  all  in  spirits,  and  the  songs  and 
cheerful  clamors  burst  out  with  renewed  animation.  But 
the  appearance  of  the  enemy  soon  became  evident.  We  found 
the  ruined  cottage,  the  torn-up  garden,  the  burned  orchard — 
those  habitual  evidences  of  the  camp.  As  we  advanced,  the 

259 


Garrg  Gbou  Etll  11  Come 


H  Scene  of  tracks  of  wagons  and  of  the  huge  wheels  of  the  military  en- 
gines were  fresh  in  the  grass,  and  from  time  to  time  some 
skeleton  of  a  beast  of  burden,  or  some  half-covered  wreck  of 
man,  showed  that  desolation  had  walked  there ;  the  cavalry 
soon  appeared  on  the  heights  in  larger  bodies ;  but  all  was 
forgotten  in  the  sight  that  at  length  rose  upon  the  horizon — 
we  beheld,  bathed  in  the  richest  glow  of  a  summer's  eve,  the 
summits  of  the  mountains  round  Jerusalem,  and  glorious  above 
them,  like  another  sun,  the  golden  beauty  of  the  Temple  of 
temples ! 

What  Jew  ever  saw  that  sight  but  with  homage  of  heart? 
Fine  fancies  may  declaim  of  the  rapture  of  returning  to  one's 
country  after  long  years.  Kapture!  to  find  ourselves  in  a 
land  of  strangers,  ourselves  forgotten,  our  early  scenes  so 
changed  that  we  can  scarcely  retrace  them,  filled  up  with  new 
faces,  or  with  the  old  so  worn  by  time  and  care  that  we  read 
in  them  nothing  but  the  emptiness  of  human  hope ;  the  whole 
world  new,  frivolous,  and  contemptuous  of  our  feelings. 
Where  is  the  mother,  the  sister,  the  woman  of  our  heart? 
We  find  their  only  memorials  among  the  dead,  and  bitterly 
feel  that  our  true  country  is  the  tomb. 

But  the  return  to  Zion  was  not  of  the  things  of  this  world. 
The  Jew  saw  before  him  the  city  of  prophecy  and  power. 
Mortal  thoughts,  individual  sorrows,  the  melancholy  experi- 
ences of  human  life,  had  no  place  among  the  mighty  hopes 
that  gathered  over  it,  like  angels'  wings.  Restoration,  bound- 
less empire,  imperishable  glory,  were  the  writing  upon  its  bul- 
warks. It  stood  before  him,  the  Universal  City,  whose  gates 
were  to  be  open  for  the  reverence  of  all  time ;  the  symbol  to 
the  earth  of  the  returning  presence  of  the  Great  King;  the 
promise  to  the  Jew  of  an  empire,  triumphant  over  the  casual- 
ties of  nations,  the  crimes  of  man,  and  even  the  all-grasping 
avarice  of  the  grave. 

The  multitude  prostrated  themselves;  then  rising,  broke 
forth  into  the  glorious  hymn  sung  by  the  tribes  on  their  jour- 
neys to  the  Temple : 

"  Great  is  the  Lord,  and  greatly  to  be  praised,  in  the  city 
of  our  God,  the  mountain  of  his  holiness. 

260 


"IFlever  Sbalt  Ubou  Bntet  Jerusalem1 


"Beautiful,  the  joy  of  the  earth  is  Mount  Zion,  the  city  of 
the  Great  King! 

"  God  is  known  in  her  palaces  for  a  refuge. 

"  We  have  thought  of  thy  loving-kindness,  0  God,  in  the 
midst  of  thy  temple. 

"  Walk  about  Zion,  tell  the  towers  thereof.  Mark  ye  her 
bulwarks,  consider  her  palaces.  For  her  God  is  our  God,  for- 
ever and  ever ;  he  will  be  our  guide  in  death ;  his  praise  is  to 
the  ends  of  the  earth.  Glory  to  the  king  of  Zion." 

The  harmony  of  the  adoring  myriads  rose  sweet  and  solemn 
upon  the  air ;  the  sky  was  a  canopy  of  sapphire ;  the  breeze 
rich  with  the  evening  flowers ;  Jerusalem  before  me !  I  felt 
as  if  the  covering  of  my  mortal  nature  was  about  to  be  cast 
away,  and  my  spirit  to  go  forth  on  a  bright  and  boundless 
career  of  fortune. 

But  recollections,  never  to  be  subdued,  saddened  my  mem- 
ory of  the  Temple,  and  when  the  first  influence  of  the  homage 
passed,  I  turned  from  the  sight  of  what  was  to  me  the  eternal 
monument  of  the  heaviest  crime  of  man.  I  gave  one  parting 
glance  as  day  died  upon  the  spires.  To  my  surprise,  they 
were  darkened  by  more  than  twilight ;  I  glanced  again,  smoke 
rolled  cloud  on  cloud  over  Mount  Moriah ;  the  distant  roar  of 
battle  startled  us.  Had  the  enemy  anticipated  our  march, 
and  was  Jerusalem  about  to  be  stormed  before  our  eyes? 

We  were  not  left  long  to  conjecture.  Crowds  of  frightened 
women  and  children  were  seen  flying  across  the  country.  The 
roar  swelled  again ;  we  answered  it  by  shouts  and  rushed  on- 
ward. Unable  to  ascertain  the  point  of  attack,  I  halted  the 
multitude  at  the  entrance  of  one  of  the  roads  ascending  to  the 
great  gate  of  the  upper  city,  and  galloped  forward  with  a  few 
of  my  people. 

A  horseman  rushed  from  the  gate  with  a  heedless  rapidity 
which  must  have  flung  him  into  the  midst  of  our  ranks  or 
sent  him  over  the  precipice.  His  voice  alone  enabled  me  to 
recognize  in  this  furious  rider  my  kinsman  Jubal.  But  never 
had  a  few  months  so  altered  a  human  being.  Instead  of  the 
bold  and  martial  figure  of  the  chieftain,  I  saw  an  emaciated 
and  exhausted  man,  apparently  in  the  last  stage  of  life  or  sor- 

261 


Carrg  Cbou  Sill  1  Come 

Cbc  Cbamic  fn  row ;  the  florid  cheek  was  of  the  color  of  clay ;  the  flashing 
eye  was  sunken ;  the  loud  and  cheerful  voice  was  sepulchral. 
I  welcomed  him  with  the  natural  regard  of  our  relationship, 
but  his  perturbation  was  fearful ;  he  trembled,  grew  fiery  red, 
and  could  return  my  greeting  only  with  a  feeble  tongue  and  a 
wild  eye. 

However,  this  was  no  time  for  private  feelings.  I  inquired 
the  state  of  things  in  Jerusalem.  Here  his  embarrassment 
was  thrown  aside  and  the  natural  energy  of  the  man  found 
room. 

"Jerusalem  has  three  curses  at  this  hour,"  said  he  fiercely, 
"  the  priests,  the  people,  and  the  Romans,  and  the  last  is  the 
lightest  of  the  three; — the  priests  bloated  with  indulgence  and 
mad  with  love  of  the  world ;  the  people  pampered  with  faction 
and  mad  with  bigotry;  and  the  Romans  availing  themselves 
of  the  madness  of  each  to  crush  all. " 

"  But  has  the  assault  been  actually  made,  or  is  there  force 
enough  within  to  repel  it?  "  interrupted  I. 

"The  assault  has  been  made,  and  the  enemy  has  driven 
everything  before  it,  so  far  as  has  been  its  pleasure.  Why 
it  has  not  pushed  on  is  inconceivable,  for  our  regular  troops 
are  good  for  nothing.  I  have  now  been  sent  out  to  raise  the 
villages,  but  my  labor  will  be  useless,  for  see — the  eagles  are 
already  on  the  wall." 

I  looked ;  on  the  northern  quarter  of  the  battlements  I  saw, 
through  smoke  and  flame,  the  accursed  standard.  Below 
rose  immense  bursts  of  conflagration ;  the  whole  of  the  new 
city,  the  Bezetha,  was  on  fire.  My  plan  was  instantly  formed. 
I  divided  my  force  into  two  bodies;  gave  one  to  Constantius, 
Avith  orders  to  enter  the  city  and  drive  the  Romans  from  the 
walls ;  and  with  the  other  threaded  the  ravines  toward  a  posi- 
tion on  the  hills.  I  had  to  make  a  long  circuit.  The  Roman 
camp  was  pitched  on  the  ridge  of  Mount  Scopas,  seven  fur- 
longs from  the  city.  Guided  by  Jubal,  I  gained  its  rear.  My 
troops,  stimulated  by  the  sight  of  the  fugitive  people,  required 
all  my  efforts  to  keep  them  from  rushing  on  the  detachments, 
which  we  saw  successively  hurrying  to  reenforce  the  assault. 

Night  fell,  but  the  signal  for  my  attack,  a  fixed  number  of 

262 


Sbalt  Sbou  Enter  Jerusalem" 


torches  on  the  tower  of  the  Temple,  did  not  appear.     Our      another 

Success 
troops,  ambushed  in  the  olive-groves  skirting  the  ridge,  had 

hitherto  escaped  discovery.  At  length  they  grew  furious  and 
bore  me  along  with  them.  As  we  burst  up  the  rugged  sides 
of  the  hill,  like  a  huge  surge  before  the  tempest,  I  cast  a  de- 
spairing glance  toward  the  city ;  the  torches  at  that  moment 
rose.  Hope  lived  again.  The  sight  added  wings  to  our  speed, 
and  before  the  enemy  could  recover  from  its  astonishment, 
we  were  in  the  center  of  the  camp.  Nothing  could  be  more 
complete  than  our  success.  The  legionaries,  sure  of  the  morn- 
ing's march  into  Jerusalem  and  the  plunder  of  the  Temple, 
were  caught  leaning  in  crowds  over  the  ramparts,  unarmed, 
and  making  absolute  holiday.  Caius  Oestrus,3'  their  insolent 
general,  was  carousing  in  his  tent  after  the  fatigues  of  the 
evening.  The  tribunes  followed  his  example;  the  soldiery 
saw  nothing  to  require  their  superior  abstemiousness,  and  the 
wine  was  flowing  freely  in  healths  to  the  next  day's  rapine, 
when  our  roar  opened  their  eyes.  To  resist  was  out  of  the 
question.  Fifty  thousand  spearmen,  as  daring  as  ever  lifted 
weapon,  and  inflamed  with  the  feelings  of  their  harassed  coun- 
try, were  in  their  midst,  and  they  fled  in  all  directions.  I 
pressed  onto  the  general's  tent,  but  the  prize  had  escaped; 
he  had  fled  at  the  first  alarm.  My  followers  indignantly  set 
his  quarters  on  fire ;  the  blaze  spread,  and  the  flame  of  the 
Roman  camp  rolled  up  like  the  flame  of  a  sacrifice  to  the  god 
of  battles. 

The  seizure  of  this  position  was  the  ruin  of  the  cohorts, 
abandoned  between  the  hill  and  the  city.  At  the  sight  of  the 
flames  the  gates  were  flung  open,  and  Constantius  drove  the 
assailants  from  point  to  point  until  our  shouts  told  him  that 
we  were  marching  upon  their  rear.  The  shock  then  was  final. 
The  Romans,  dispirited  and  surprised,  broke  like  water,  and 
scarcely  a  man  of  them  lived  to  boast  of  having  insulted  the 
walls  of  Jerusalem. 

Day  arose  and  the  Temple  met  the  rising  beam,  unstained 
by  the  smoke  of  an  enemy's  fire.  The  wreck  of  the  legions 
lay  upon  the  declivities,  like  the  fragments  of  a  fleet  on  the 
shore.  But  this  sight,  painful  even  to  an  enemy,  was  soon 

263 


Ubou  GUI  1T  Conie 


H  Dolce  forgotten  in  the  concourse  of  the  rescued  citizens,  the  exulta- 
tion of  the  troops,  and  the  still  more  seducing  vanities  that 
filled  the  heart  of  their  chieftain. 

Toward  noon,  a  long  train  of  the  principal  people,  headed 
by  the  priests  and  elders,  was  seen  issuing  from  the  gates  to 
congratulate  me.  Choral  music  and  triumphant  shouts  an- 
nounced their  approach  through  the  valley.  My  heart  bounded 
with  the  feelings  of  a  conqueror.  The  whole  long  vista  of 
national  honors,  the  popular  praise,  the  personal  dignity,  the 
power  of  trampling  upon  the  malignant,  the  clearance  of  my 
character,  the  right  to  take  the  future  lead  on  all  occasions  of 
public  service  and  princely  renown,  opened  before  my  eye. 

I  was  standing  alone  upon  the  brow  of  the  promontory.  As 
far  as  the  eye  could  reach  all  was  in  motion,  and  all  was  di- 
rected to  me ;  the  homage  of  soldiery,  priests,  and  people  cen- 
tered in  my  single  being.  I  involuntarily  uttered  aloud : 

"  At  last  I  shall  enter  Jerusalem  in  triumph. " 

I  heard  a  voice  at  my  side : 

"  Never  shalt  thou  enter  Jerusalem  but  in  sorrow !  " 

An  indescribable  pang  smote  me.  There  was  not  a  living 
soul  near  me  to  have  uttered  the  words.  The  troops  were 
standing  at  a  distance  below  and  in  perfect  silence.  The 
words  were  spoken  close  to  my  ear.  But  I  fatally  knew  the 
voice,  and  conjecture  was  at  an  end.  My  limbs  felt  power- 
less, as  if  I  had  been  struck  by  lightning.  I  called  Jubal  up 
the  peak  to  assist  me.  But  the  blow  that  smote  my  frame 
seemed  to  have  smote  his  mind.  His  eyes  rolled  wildly ;  his 
speech  was  the  -language  of  a  fierce  disturbance  of  thought, 
altogether  unintelligible.  A  lunatic  stood  before  me. 

Was  this  to  be  the  foretaste  of  my  own  afflictions?  Was  I 
to  see  my  kindred  and  friends  put  under  the  yoke  of  bodily 
and  mental  misery  as  a  menace  of  the  punishment  that  was 
to  cut  asunder  my  connection  with  human  nature? 


264 


CHAPTER  XXXIII 

Jubal's  Warning 

IN  pain  and  terror  I  drew  my  unfortunate  kinsman  from 
the  gaze  of  the  troops,  and  entreated  him  to  tell  me  by  what 
melancholy  chance  his  feelings  had  been  thus  disturbed.  He 
looked  at  me  with  a  fierce  glance,  and  half  unsheathed  his 
dagger.  But  I  was  not  to  be  repelled,  and  still  labored  to 
soothe  him.  He  hurriedly  grasped  the  weapon,  flung  it  down 
the  steep,  and  sinking  at  my  feet,  burst  into  tears. 

An  uproar  in  the  valley  roused  me  from  the  contemplation 
of  this  wreck  of  youth  and  hope.  The  enemy,  tho  defeated, 
had  suffered  little  comparative  loss.  The  pride  of  the  legions 
could  not  brook  the  idea  of  defeat  by  what  they  deemed  the 
rabble  of  the  city  and  the  fields.  Cestius,  under  cover  of  the 
broken  country  on  our  flanks,  had  rallied  the  fugitives  of 
the  camp,  and  now,  between  me  and  the  city,  were  rapidly 
advancing  in  columns,  forty  thousand  men. 

The  maneuver  was  bold.  It  might  force  us  either  to  fight 
at  a  ruinous  disadvantage,  or  to  leave  the  city  totally  exposed. 
But,  like  all  bold  games,  it  was  perilous,  and  I  determined  to 
make  the  Roman  feel  that  he  had  an  antagonist  who  would 
not  leave  the  game  at  his  discretion. 

From  the  pinnacle  on  which  I  stood,  the  whole  champaign 
lay  beneath  me.  Nothing  could  be  lovelier.  The  grandest 
combinations  of  art  and  nature  were  before  the  eye — Jerusa- 
lem on  her  hills,  a  city  of  palaces,  and  in  that  hour  display- 
ing her  full  pomp ;  her  towers  streaming  with  banners ;  her 
battlements  crowded  with  troops ;  her  priesthood  and  citizens 
in  their  festal  habits  pouring  from  the  gates  and  covering 
the  plain  with  the  pageant ;  that  plain  itself  colored  with  the 
richest  produce  of  the  earth ;  groves  of  the  olive ;  declivities, 
purple  with  the  vine  or  yellow  with  corn,  gleaming  in  the 
sun,  sheets  of  vegetable  gold. 

265 


Cbou  CUl  f  Come 


Saiatbiei  The  signals  of  my  advance  parties  along  the  heights  soon 
told  me  that  the  enemy  were  in  movement.  My  plan  was 
speedily  adopted.  On  the  right  spread  the  plain ;  on  the  left 
lay  the  broken  and  hilly  country  through  which  the  enemy 
were  advancing  by  its  three  principal  ravines.  I  felt  that,  if 
they  could  unite,  success  with  our  undisciplined  levies  was 
desperate.  The  only  hope  was  that  of  beating  the  columns 
separately  as  they  emerged  into  the  plain.  Cavalry  had  now 
begun  to  ride  down  upon  the  processions,  which,  startled  at 
the  sight,  were  instantly  scattered  and  flying  toward  Jeru- 
salem. 

"The  day  of  congratulation  is  clearly  over,"  said  Jubal, 
pointing  in  scorn  to  the  dispersed  citizens.  "  To-day,  at  least, 
you  will  not  receive  the  homage  of  those  hypocrites  of  the 
Sanhedrin." 

"  Nor  perhaps  to-morrow,  fellow  soldier,  for  we  must  first 
see  of  what  material  those  columns  are  made.  If  we  beat 
them,  we  shall  save  the  elders  the  trouble  of  crossing  the 
plain,  and  receive  their  honors  within  the  walls." 

"  In  Jerusalem !  "  exclaimed  he  wildly ;  "  no,  never !  You 
have  dangers  to  encounter  within  those  walls  that  no  art  of 
man  could  withstand ;  dangers  keener  than  the  dagger,  more 
deadly  than  the  aspic,  more  resistless  than  the  force  of  armies ! 
Enter  Jerusalem  and  you  are  undone." 

I  looked  upon  him  with  astonishment.  But  there  was  in 
his  eyes  a  sad  humility ;  a  strangely  imploring  glance,  which 
formed  the  most  singular  contrast  to  the  wildness  of  his  words. 

"  Be  warned !  "  said  he,  pressing  close,  as  if  he  dreaded  that 
his  secret  should  be  overheard ;  "  I  have  seen  and  heard  horrid 
things  since  I  last  entered  the  city.  Beware  of  the  leaders  of 
Jerusalem !  I  tell  you  that  they  have  fearful  power,  that  their 
hate  is  inexorable,  and  that  you  are  their  great  object !  " 

"This  is  altogether  beyond  my  conception;  how  have  I 
offended,  and  whom?  "  I  asked. 

He  seemed  to  have  recovered  the  tone  of  his  mind  "  You 
are  charged  with  unutterable  acts.  Your  abandonment  of  the 
priesthood ;  sights  seen  in  your  deserted  chambers,  which  not 
even  the  most  daring  would  venture  to  inhabit ;  your  escape 

266 


Bubal's  TlClarnfng 


from  dangers  that  must  have  extinguished  any  other  human 
being,  have  bred  fatal  rumors.  It  has  been  said  that  you  Bccu8atlon8 
worshiped  in  the  bowels  of  the  mountain  of  Masada,  where 
the  magic  fire  bums  eternally  before  the  image  of  the  Evil 
One ;  nay,  that  you  even  conquered  the  fortress,  impregnable 
as  it  was  to  man,  by  a  horrid  compact,  and  that  the  raising  of 
your  standard  was  the  declared  sign  of  that  compact,  dread- 
fully to  be  repaid  by  you  and  yours ! " 

"Monstrous  and  incredible  calumny!  Where  was  their 
evidence?  My  actions  were  before  the  face  of  the  world! " 

"  If  your  virtues  were  written  in  a  sunbeam,  envy  would 
darken  and  hatred  destroy,"  exclaimed  my  kinsman,  with  the 
bold  countenance  and  manly  feeling  of  his  better  days. 
"  They  have  in  their  secret  councils  stained  you  with  a  fate 
more  gloomy  than  ]  can  comprehend ;  they  say  that  you  are  sen- 
tenced, even  here,  to  the  miseries  of  guilt  beyond  the  grave." 

I  felt  as  if  he  had  stricken  a  lance  through  my  heart.  Fiery 
sparkles  shot  before  my  eyes.  I  instinctively  put  my  hand 
to  my  brow,  to  feel  if  the  mark  of  Cain  was  not  already  there. 
I  gave  one  hurried  glance  at  heaven,  as  if  to  see  the  form  of 
the  destroying  angel  stooping  over  me.  But  the  conscious- 
ness that  I  was  in  the  presence  of  the  multitude  compelled  me 
to  master  my  feelings.  I  commanded  Jubal  to  be  ready  with 
his  proofs  of  those  calumnies  against  the  time  when  I  should 
confound  my  accusers.  But  I  now  spoke  to  the  winds.  The 
interval  of  reason  was  gone.  He  burst  out  into  the  fiercest 
horrors. 

"  They  pursue  me ! "  exclaimed  he ;  "  they  come  by  thou- 
sands, with  the  poniard  and  the  poison!  They  cry  for  blood! 
They  would  drive  me  to  a  crime  black  as  their  own !  " 

He  flung  himself  at  my  feet,  and,  clasping  them,  prevented 
every  effort  to  save  him  from  this  degradation.  He  buried 
his  face  in  my  robe,  and,  casting  up  a  scared  look  from  time 
to  time,  as  if  he  shrank  from  some  object  of  terror,  apostro- 
phized his  vision. 

"Fearful  being,"  he  cried,  "spare  me!  turn  away  those 
searching  eyes !  I  have  sworn  to  do  the  deed,  and  it  shall  be 
done.  I  have  sworn  it,  against  the  ties  of  nature,  against  the 

267 


Carrg  Cbou  ttill  1  Come 


Saiatbiel  laws  of  Heaven ;  but  it  shall  be  done.  Now,  begone !  See !  "• — 
1  lie  cowered,  pointing  to  a  cloud  that  floated  across  the  sun — 
"  see !  he  spreads  his  wings ;  he  hovers  over  me ;  the  thunders 
are  flaming  in  his  hands.  Begone,  Spirit  of  Evil!  It  shall  be, 
done !  Look,  where  he  vanishes  into  the  heights  of  his  king- 
dom !  the  prince  of  the  power  of  the  air. " 

The  cloud  which  fed  the  fancy  of  iny  unfortunate  kinsman 
dissolved,  and  with  it  his  fear  of  the  tempter.  But  he  lay 
exhausted  at  my  feet,  his  eyes  closed,  his  limbs  shuddering — 
the  emblem  of  weakness  and  despair.  I  tried  to  rouse  him 
by  that  topic  which  would  once  have  shot  new  life  into  his 
heroic  heart. 

"  Rise,  Jubal,  and  see  the  enemy.  This  battle  must  not  be 
fought  without  you.  To-day  neither  magic  nor  chance  shall 
be  imputed  to  the  conqueror,  if  I  shall  conquer.  Jerusalem 
sees  the  battle,  and  before  the  face  of  my  country  I  will  show 
myself  the  leader,  or  will  leave  the  last  drop  of  my  blood 
upon  those  fields." 

The  warrior  kindled  within  him.  He  sprang  from  the 
ground  and  shot  down  an  eagle  glance  at  the  enemy,  who 
had  now  made  rapid  progress,  and  were  beginning  to  show  the 
heads  of  their  columns  in  the  plain.  He  was  unarmed.  I  gave 
him  my  sword,  and  the  proud  humility  with  which  he  put  it 
to  his  lips  was  a  pledge  to  me  that  it  would  be  honored  in 
his  hands. 

"  Glorious  thing !  "  he  exclaimed,  as  he  flashed  it  before  the 
sun,  "that  raises  man  at  once  to  the  height  of  human  honors, 
or  sends  him  where  no  care  can  disturb  his  rest;  the  true 
scepter  that  graces  empire ;  the  true  talisman,  more  powerful 
than  all  the  arts  of  the  enchanter !  What,  like  thee,  can  lift 
up  the  lowly,  enrich  the  destitute,  and  even  restore  the  un- 
done? What  talent,  knowledge,  gift  of  nature,  nay,  what 
smile  of  fortune  can,  like  thee,  in  one  hour,  bid  the  obscure 
stand  forth  the  hero  of  a  people  or  the  wonder  of  a  world? 
Now  for  glory ! "  he  shouted  to  the  listening  circle  of  the 
troops,  who  answered  him  with  shouts. 

"  Now  for  glory !  "  they  cried,  and  poured  after  him  down 
the  side  of  the  mountain. 

268 


'  Now  for  glory  ! '  they  cried." 


".bs 


Subal's  TKHarntnfl 


The  three  gorges  of  the  valleys  through  which  the  enemy  tzbe 
moved,  opened  into  the  plain  at  wide  intervals  from  one  an- 
other. I  saw  that  the  eagerness  of  Cestius  to  reach  the  open 
ground  was  already  hurrying  his  columns ;  and  that,  from 
the  comparative  facilities  of  the  ravine  immediately  under  my 
position,  the  nearest  column  must  arrive  unsupported.  The 
moment  came.  The  helmets  and  spears  were  already  pouring 
from  the  pass,  when  a  gesture  from  me  let  loose  the  whole 
human  torrent  upon  them.  Our  advantage  of  the  ground,  our 
numbers,  and  still  more,  our  brave  impetuosity,  decided  the 
fate  of  this  division  at  once.  The  legionaries  were  not  merely 
repulsed,  they  were  absolutely  trampled  down ;  there  they 
lay,  as  if  a  mighty  wall  or  a  fragment  of  the  mountain  had 
fallen  upon  them. 

The  two  remaining  columns  were  still  to  be  fought.  The 
compact  and  broad  mass  of  iron  that  rushed  down  the  ravines 
seemed  irresistible,  and  when  I  cast  a  glance  on  the  irregular 
and  waving  lines  behind  me  I  felt  the  whole  peril  of  the  day. 
Yet  I  feared  idly.  The  enemy  charged  and  forced  their  way 
into  the  very  center  of  the  multitude  like  two  vast  wedges, 
crushing  all  before  them.  But,  tho  they  could  repel,  they 
could  not  conquer.  The  spirit  of  the  Jew  lighting  before 
Jerusalem  was  more  than  heroism.  To  extinguish  a  Roman, 
tho  at  the  instant  loss  of  life ;  to  disable  a  single  spear,  tho 
by  receiving  it  in  his  bosom ;  to  encumber  with  his  corpse 
the  steps  of  the  adversary,  was  reward  enough  for  the  man  of 
Israel. 

I  saw  crowds  of  those  bold  peasants  fling  themselves  on 
the  ground,  creep  in  between  the  feet  of  the  legionaries,  and 
die  stabbing  them ;  others  casting  away  the  lance  to  seize  the 
Roman  bucklers  and  encumber  them  with  the  strong  grasp  of 
death;  crowds  mounting  the  rising  grounds,  to  leap  down 
upon  the  spears.  The  enemy,  overborne  with  the  weight  of 
the  multitude,  at  length  found  it  impossible  to  move  farther ; 
yet  their  strength  was  not  to  be  broken.  Wherever  we 
turned  there  was  the  same  solid  wall  of  shields,  the  same 
thick  fence  of  leveled  lances.  We  might  as  well  have  as- 
saulted a  rock.  Our  arrows  rebounded  from  their  impenetra- 

269 


Constanttue  ble  armor ;  the  stones  that  poured  on  them  from  innumerable 
slings  rolled  off  like  the  hail  of  a  summer  shower  from  a 
roof.  But  to  have  stopped  the  columns  and  prevented  their 
junction  was  in  itself  a  triumph.  I  felt  that  we  had  scarcely 
to  do  more  than  fix  them  where  they  stood,  and  leave  the 
intense  heat  of  the  day,  thirst,  and  weariness  to  fight  our 
battle.  But  my  troops  were  not  to  be  restrained.  They  still 
rolled  in  furious  heaps  against  the  living  fortification.  Every 
broken  lance  in  that  impenetrable  barrier,  every  pierced  hel- 
met, was  a  trophy ;  the  fall  of  a  single  legionary  roused  a  shout 
of  exultation  and  was  the  signal  for  a  new  charge. 

But  the  battle  was  no  longer  to  be  left  to  our  unassisted 
efforts ;  the  troops  in  Jerusalem  moved  down  with  Constantius 
at  their  head.  In  the  perpetual  roar  of  the  conflict,  their 
shouts  had  escaped  my  ear,  and  my  first  intelligence  of  their 
advance  was  from  Jubal,  who  had  well  redeemed  his  pledge 
during  the  day.  Hurrying  with  him  to  one  of  the  eminences 
that  overlooked  the  field,  I  saw  with  pride  and  delight  the 
standard  of  Naphtali  spreading  its  red  folds  at  the  head  of 
the  advancing  multitude. 

"Who  commands  them?"  asked  Jubal  eagerly. 

"Who  should  command  them,  with  that  banner  at  their 
head,"  replied  I,  "but  my  son,  my  brave  Constantius?" 

He  heard  no  more,  but,  bending  his  turban  to  the  saddle- 
bow, struck  the  spur  into  his  horse,  and  with  a  cry  of  mad- 
ness plunged  into  the  center  of  the  nearest  column.  The 
stroke  came  upon  it  like  a  thunderbolt ;  the  phalanx  wavered 
for  the  first  time ;  an  opening  was  made  into  its  ranks.  The 
chasm  was  filled  up  by  a  charge  of  my  hunters.  To  save  or 
die  with  Jubal  was  the  impulse !  That  charge  was  never  re- 
covered ;  the  column  loosened,  the  multitude  pressed  in  upon 
it,  and  Constantius  arrived,  only  in  time  to  see  the  remnant 
of  the  Roman  army  flying  to  the  disastrous  shelter  of  the  hills. 

The  day  was  won — I  was  a  conqueror!  The  invincible 
legions  were  invincible  no  more.  I  had  conquered  under  the 
gaze  of  Jerusalem !  Where  was  the  enmity  that  would  dare 
to  murmur  against  me  now  ?  What  calumny  would  not  be 
crushed  by  the  force  of  national  gratitude  ?  A  flood  of  ab- 

270 


Bubal's  Wlarning 


sorbing  sensations  filled  my  soul.  No  eloquence  of  man  could  Saiatbfel  tbe 
express  the  glowing  and  superb  consciousness  that  swelled  Conqueroc 
my  heart,  in  the  moment  when  I  saw  the  Romans  shake,  and 
heard  the  shouts  of  my  army  proclaiming  me  victor.  After 
that  day,  I  can  forgive  the  boldest  extravagance  of  the  boldest 
passion  for  war.  That  passion  may  not  be  cruelty,  nor  the 
thirst  of  possession,  nor  the  longing  for  supremacy ;  but  some- 
thing made  up  of  them  all,  and  yet  superior  to  all — the  essen- 
tial spirit  of  the  stirring  motives  of  the  human  mind — ambi- 
tion, kindled  by  the  loftiest  objects  and  ennobled  by  them — a 
game  where  the  stake  is  an  endless  inheritance  of  renown, 
a  sudden  lifting  of  the  man  into  the  rank  of  those  on  whose 
names  time  can  make  no  impression  —  immortals,  without 
undergoing  the  penalty  of  the  grave ! 


371 


CHAPTER  XXXIV 

Pursuit  of  an  Enemy 

I  DETERMINED  to  give  the  enemy  no  respite,  and  ordered 
the  ravines  to  be  attacked  by  fresh  troops.  While  they  were 
advancing,  I  galloped  in  search  of  Jubal  over  the  ground  of 
the  last  charge.  He  was  not  to  be  seen  among  the  living  or 
the  dead. 

The  look  of  the  field,  when  the  first  glow  of  battle  had  passed, 
was  enough  to  shake  a  sterner  spirit  than  mine.  Our  advance 
to  the  gorges  of  the  mountain  had  left  the  plain  naked.  The 
sea  of  turbans  and  lances  was  gone,  rolling,  like  the  swell  of 
an  angry  ocean,  against  the  foot  of  the  hills.  All  before  us 
was  the  cliff  or  the  rocky  pass,  thronged  with  helmets  and 
spears.  But  all  behind  was  death  or  misery  worse  than  death ; 
hundreds  and  thousands  groaning  in  agony,  crying  out  for 
water  to  cool  their  burning  lips,  or  imploring  the  sword  to  put 
them  out  of  pain.  The  legionaries  lay  in  their  ranks  as  they 
had  fought;  solid  piles  of  men,  horses,  and  arms,  the  true 
monuments  of  soldiership.  The  veterans  of  Rome  had  sus- 
tained the  honors  of  her  name. 

I  turned  from  this  sight  toward  the  rescued  city.  The  sun 
was  resting  on  its  towers ;  the  smoke  of  the  evening  sacrifice 
was  ascending  in  slow  wreaths  from  the  altar  of  the  sanctuary. 
The  trumpets  and  voices  of  the  minstrels  poured  a  stream  of 
harmony  on  the  cool  air.  The  recollection  of  gentler  times 
came  upon  my  heart.  Through  what  scenes  of  anxious  feel- 
ing had  I  not  passed  since  those  gates  closed  upon  me.  The 
contrast  between  the  holy  calm  of  my  early  days  and  the 
fierce  struggles  of  my  doomed  existence  pressed  with  bitter 
force.  My  spirit  shook.  The  warrior  enthusiasm  was  chilled. 

The  trampling  of  horses  roused  me  from  this  unwarlike  rev- 
erie. Constantius  came  up,  glowing  to  communicate  the  in- 

272 


pursuit  of  an 


telligence  that  the  last  of  the  enemy  had  beeii  driven  in,  and  Saiatbtel  the 
that  his  troops  only  awaited  my  orders  to  force  the  passes.     I         olBiec 
mounted,  heard  their  shouts,  and  was  again  the  soldier. 

But  the  iron  front  of  the  enemy  resisted  our  boldest  attempts 
to  force  the  ravines, — the  hills  were  not  to  be  turned,  and  we 
were  compelled,  after  innumerable  efforts,  to  wait  for  the 
movement  of  the  Komans  from  a  spot  which  thirst  and  hunger 
must  soon  make  untenable.  This  day  had  stripped  them  of 
their  baggage,  their  beasts  of  burden,  and  their  military  engines. 

At  dawn  the  pursuit  began  again.  We  still  found  the 
enemy  struggling  to  escape  out  of  those  fatal  defiles.  The 
day  was  worn  away  in  perpetual  attempts  to  break  the  ranks 
of  the  legionaries.  The  Jew,  light,  agile,  and  with  nothing 
to  carry  but  his  spear,  was  a  tremendous  antagonist  to  the 
Eoman,  perplexed  among  rocks  and  torrents,  famishing,  and 
encumbered  with  an  oppressive  weight  of  armor.  The  losses 
of  this  day  were  dreadful.  Our  darts  commanded  their  march 
from  the  heights;  every  stone  did  execution  among  ranks 
whose  armor  was  now  scattered  by  the  perpetual  discharge. 
Still  they  toiled  on,  unbroken.  We  saw  their  long  line  labor- 
ing with  patient  discipline  through  the  rugged  depth  below, 
and  in  the  face  of  our  attacks  they  made  way  till  night  again 
covered  them. 

I  spent  that  night  on  horseback.  Fatigue  I  never  felt  in 
the  strong  excitement  of  the  time.  I  saw  multitudes  sink  at 
my  horse's  feet,  in  sleep  as  insensible  as  the  rock  on  which 
they  lay.  Sleep  never  touched  my  eyelids.  I  galloped  from 
post  to  post,  brought  reenf  orcements  to  my  wearied  ranks,  and 
longed  for  morn. 

It  came  at  last.  The  enemy  had  reached  the  head  of  the 
defile,  but  there  a  force  was  poured  upon  them  that  nothing 
could  resist.  Their  remaining  cavalry  were  driven  into  the 
torrent ;  the  few  light  troops  that  scaled  the  higher  grounds 
were  swept  down.  I  looked  upon  their  whole  army  as  in  my 
hands,  and  was  riding  forward  with  Constantius  and  my  chief 
officers  to  receive  their  surrender,  when  they  were  saved  by 
one  of  those  instances  of  devotedness  that  distinguished  the 
Roman  character. 

18  273 


ZTarrg  Cbon  £111  1f  Come 


Ubc  flight  Wearied  of  pursuit  and  evasion,  I  had  rejoiced  to  see  at 
•Romans  last  symptoms  of  a  determination  to  wait  for  us  and  try  the 
chance  of  battle.  An  abrupt  ridge  of  rock,  surmounted 
by  a  lofty  cone,  was  the  enemy's  position,  long  after  famous 
in  Jewish  annals.  A  line  of  spearmen  was  drawn  up  on  the 
ridge,  and  the  broken  summit  of  the  cone,  a  space  of  a  few 
hundred  yards,  was  occupied  by  a  cohort.  Italian  dexterity 
was  employed  to  give  the  idea  that  Cestius  had  taken  his  stand 
upon  this  central  spot ;  an  eagle  and  a  concourse  of  officers 
were  exhibited,  and  upon  this  spot  I  directed  the  principal 
attack  to  be  made. 

But  the  cool  bravery  of  its  defenders  was  not  to  be  shaken. 
After  a  long  waste  of  time  in  efforts  to  scale  the  rock,  indig- 
nant at  seeing  victory  retarded  by  such  an  obstacle,  I  left  the 
business  to  the  slingers  and  archers,  and  ordered  a  steady 
discharge  to  be  kept  up  on  the  cohort.  This  was  decisive. 
Every  stone  and  arrow  told  upon  the  little  force  crowded  to- 
gether on  the  naked  height.  Shield  and  helmet  sank  one  by 
one  under  the  mere  weight  of  missiles.  Their  circle  rapidly 
diminished,  and,  refusing  to  surrender,  they  perished  to  a 
man. 

When  we  took  possession  the  army  was  gone.  The  resist- 
ance of  the  cohort  had  given  the  Romans  time  to  escape,  and 
Cestius  sheltered  his  degraded  laurels  behind  the  ramparts 
of  Bethhoron,  by  the  sacrifice  of  four  hundred  heroes. 

This  battle,  which  commenced  on  the  eighth  day  of  the 
month  Marchesvan,  had  no  equal  in  the  war.  The  loss  to  the 
Romans  was  unparalleled  since  the  defeat  of  Crassus.  Two 
legions  were  destroyed ;  six  thousand  bodies  were  left  on  the 
field.  The  whole  preparation  for  the  siege  of  Jerusalem  fell 
into  our  hands.  Then  was  the  hour  to  have  struck  the  final 
blow  for  freedom ;  then  was  given  that  chance  of  restoration 
which  Providence  gives  to  every  nation  and  every  man.  But 
our  crimes,  our  wild  feuds,  the  bigoted  fury  and  polluted  li- 
cense of  our  factions,  rose  up  as  a  cloud  between  us  and  the 
light ;  we  were  made  to  be  ruined. 

Such  were  not  my  reflections  when  I  saw  the  gates  of  Beth- 
horon closing  on  the  fugitives ;  I  vowed  never  to  rest  until  I 

274 


pursuit  of  an 


brought  prisoners  to  Jerusalem  the  last  of  the  sacrilegious  host    Saiatbfei'8 
that  had  dared  to  assault  the  Temple. 

The  walls  of  Bethhoron,  manned  only  with  the  wreck  of  the 
troops  that  we  had  routed  from  all  their  positions,  could  offer 
no  impediment  to  hands  and  hearts  like  ours.  I  ordered  an 
immediate  assault.  The  resistance  was  desperate,  for  beyond 
this  city  there  was  no  place  of  refuge  nearer  than  Antipatris. 
We  were  twice  repulsed,  and  I  headed  the  third  attack  myself. 
The  dead  filled  up  the  ditch,  and  I  had  already  arrived  at  the 
foot  of  the  rampart,  with  the  scaling-ladder  in  my  hand,  when 
I  heard  Jubal's  voice  behind  me.  He  was  leaping  and  danc- 
ing in  the  attitudes  of  utter  madness.  But  there  was  no  time 
to  be  lost.  I  sprang  upon  the  battlements,  tore  a  standard 
from  its  bearer,  and  waved  it  over  my  head  with  a  shout  of 
victory.  The  plain,  the  hills,  the  valleys,  covered  with  the 
host  rushing  to  the  assault,  echoed  the  cry;  I  was  at  the 
summit  of  fortune ! 

In  the  next  moment  I  felt  a  sudden  shock.  Darkness  cov- 
ered my  eyes,  and  I  plunged  headlong. 

I  awoke  in  a  dungeon. 


275 


CHAPTER  XXXV 

'The  Lapse  of  Years 

in  a  IN  that  dungeon  I  lay  for  two  years !  "  How  I  lived,  or  how 

I  bore  existence,  I  can  now  have  no  conception.  I  was  not 
mad,  nor  altogether  insensible  to  things  about  me,  nor  even 
without  occasional  inclination  for  the  common  objects  of  our 
being.  I  used  to  look  for  the  glimmer  of  daylight  that  was 
suffered  to  enter  my  cell.  The  reflection  of  the  moon  in  a 
pool,  of  which,  by  climbing  to  the  loophole,  I  could  gain  a 
glimpse,  was  waited  for  with  some  feeble  feeling  of  pleasure, 
but  my  animal  appetites  were  more  fully  alive  than  ever.  An 
hour's  delay  of  the  miserable  provision  that  was  thrown 
through  my  bars  made  me  wretched.  I  devoured  it  like  a 
wild  "beast,  and  then  longed  through  the  dreary  hours  for  its 
coming  again ! 

I  made  no  attempt  to  escape.  I  dragged  myself  once  to 
the  entrance  of  the  dungeon,  found  it  secured  by  an  iron  door, 
and  never  tried  it  again.  If  every  bar  had  been  broken,  I 
scarcely  know  whether  I  should  have  attempted  to  pass  it. 
Even  in  my  more  reasoning  hours,  I  felt  no  desire  to  move. 
Destiny  was  upon  me.  My  doom  was  marked  in  characters 
which  nothing  but  blindness  could  fail  to  read ;  and  to  strug- 
gle with  fate,  what  was  it  but  to  prepare  for  new  misfortune? 

The  memory  of  my  wife  and  children  sometimes  broke 
through  the  icy  apathy  with  which  I  labored  to  encrust  my 
mind.  Tears  flowed ;  nature  stung  my  heart ;  I  groaned,  and 
made  the  vault  ring  with  the  cries  of  the  exile  from  earth  and 
heaven.  But  this  passed  away,  and -I  was  again  the  self- 
divorced  man,  without  a  tie  to  bind  him  to  transitory  things. 
I  heard  the  thunder  and  the  winds ;  the  lightnings  sometimes 
startled  me  from  my  savage  sleep.  But  what  were  they  to 
me !  I  was  dreadfully  secure  from  the  fiercest  rage  of  nature. 

276 


Xapse  of 


There  were  nights  when  I  conceived  that  I  could  distinguish    tibe  prince 
the  roarings  of  the  ocean,  and,  shuddering,  seemed  to  hear    °  ts  j^ce* ' 
the  cries  of  drowning  men.     But  those,  too,  passed  away.     I 
swept  remembrance  from  my  mind,  and  felt  a  sort  of  vague 
enjoyment  in  the  effort  to  defy  the  last  power  of  evil.     Cold, 
heat,  hunger,  waking,  sleep,  were  the  calendar  of  my  year, 
the  only  points  in  which  I  was  sensible  of  existence;   I  felt 
like  some  of  those  torpid  animals  which,  buried  in  stones  from 
the  creation,  live  on  until  the  creation  shall  be  no  more. 

But  this  sullenness  was  only  for  the  waking  hour ;  night  had 
its  old,  implacable  dominion  over  me ;  full  of  vivid  misery, 
crowded  with  the  bitter-sweet  of  memory,  I  wandered  free 
among  those  forms  in  which  my  spirit  had  found  matchless 
loveliness.  Then  the  cruel  caprice  of  fancy  would  sting  me ; 
in  the  very  concord  of  enchanting  sounds  there  would  come  a 
funereal  voice ;  in  the  circle  of  the  happy,  I  was  appalled  by 
some  hideous  visage  uttering  words  of  mystery.  A  spectral 
form  would  hang  upon  my  steps  and  tell  me  that  I  was  un- 
done. 

From  one  of  those  miserable  slumbers  I  was  roused  by  a 
voice  pronouncing  my  name.  I  at  first  confounded  it  with 
the  wanderings  of  sleep.  But  a  chilling  touch  upon  my  fore- 
head completely  aroused  me.  It  was  night,  yet  my  eyes,  ac- 
customed to  darkness,  gradually  discovered  the  first  intruder 
who  ever  stood  within  my  living  grave ;  nothing  human  could 
look  more  like  the  dead.  A  breathing  skeleton  stood  before 
me.  The  skin  clung  to  his  bones ;  misery  was  in  every  fea- 
ture ;  the  voice  was  scarcely  above  a  whisper. 

"  Rise, "  said  this  wretched  being,  "  prince  of  Naphtali,  you 
are  free;  follow  me." 

Strange  thoughts  were  in  the  words.  Was  this  indeed  the 
universal  surninoner — the  being  whom  the  prosperous  dread, 
but  the  wretched  love?  Had  the  King  of  Terrors  stood  be- 
fore me  I  could  not  have  gazed  on  him  with  more  wonder. 

"  Rise,"  said  the  voice  impatiently ;  "  we  have  but  an  hour 
till  daybreak,  and  you  must  escape  now  or  never." 

The  sound  of  freedom  scattered  my  apathy.  The  world 
opened  upon  my  heart;  country,  friends,  children  were  in 

277 


(Tbou  trill  1  Come 


/ree&om  the  world,  and  I  started  up  with  the  feeling  of  one  to  whom 
life  is  given  on  the  scaffold. 

My  guide  hurried  forward  through  the  winding  way  to  the 
door.  He  stopped ;  I  heard  him  utter  a  groan,  strike  fiercely 
against  the  bars,  and  fall.  I  found  him  lying  at  the  thresh- 
old without  speech  or  motion ;  carried  him  back,  and,  by  the 
help  of  the  cruse  of  water  left  to  moisten  my  solitary  meal, 
restored  him  to  his  senses. 

"The  wind,"  said  he,  "must  have  closed  the  door,  and  we 
are  destined  to  die  together.  So  be  it ;  with  neither  of  us  can 
the  struggle  be  long.  Farewell !  " 

He  flung  himself  upon  his  face.  A  noise  of  some  heavy 
instrument  roused  us  both.  He  listened,  and  said :  "  There 
is  hope  still.  The  slave  who  let  me  in  is  forcing  the  door." 
We  rushed  to  assist  him,  and  tugged  and  tore  at  the  massive 
stones  in  which  the  hinges  were  fixed,  but  found  our  utmost 
strength  as  ineffectual  as  an  infant's.  The  slave  now  cried 
out  that  he  must  give  up  the  attempt,  that  day  was  breaking 
and  the  guard  was  at  hand.  We  implored  him  to  try 
once  more.  By  a  violent  effort  he  drove  his  crowbar  through 
one  of  the  panels;  the  gleam  of  light  gave  us  courage,  and 
with  our  united  strength  we  heaved  at  the  joints,  which  were 
evidently  loosening.  In  the  midst  of  our  work  the  slave 
fled,  and  I  heard  a  plunge  into  the  pool  beneath. 

"He  has  perished,"  said  my  companion.  "The  door  is  on 
the  face  of  a  precipice.  He  has  fallen,  in  the  attempt  to  es- 
cape, and  we  are  now  finally  undone." 

The  guard,  disturbed  by  the  noise,  arrived,  and  in  the 
depths  of  our  cell  we  heard  the  day  spent  in  making  the  im- 
passable barrier  firmer  than  ever. 

For  some  hours  my  companion  lay  in  that  state  of  exhaus- 
tion which  I  could  not  distinguish  from  uneasy  slumber,  and 
which  I  attributed  to  the  fatigue  of  our  common  labors.  But 
his  groans  became  so  deep  that  I  ventured  to  rouse  him,  and 
even  to  cheer  him  with  the  chances  of  escape. 

"I  have  not  slept,"  said  he;  "I  shall  never  sleep  again, 
until  the  grave  gives  me  that  slumber  in  which  the  wretched 
can  alone  find  rest.  Escape !  No — for  months,  for  years,  I 

278 


Cbe  Xapse  of  H?ears 


have  had  but  one  object.     I  have  traversed  mountain  and  sea     Saiatbfel 
for  it ;  I  have  given  to  it  day  and  night,  all  that  I  possessed       Vubai 
in  the  world ;  I  could  give  no  more  but  my  life,  and  that  too 
I  was  to  give.     I  stood  within  sight  of  that  object.     But  it  is 
snatched  from  me,  and  now  the  sooner  I  perish  the  better." 
He  writhed  with  mental  pain. 

"But  what  cause  can  you  have  for  being  here?  You  have 
not  fought  our  tyrants.  Who  are  you?  " 

"One  whom  you  can  never  know — a  being  born  to  honor 
and  happiness,  but  who  perverted  them  by  pride  and  re- 
venge, and  whose  last  miserable  hope  is,  that  he  may  die  un- 
known, and  without  the  curses  that  fall  on  the  traitor  and  the 
murderer.  Prince  of  Naphtali,  farewell !  " 

I  knew  the  speaker  in  those  words  of  wo.  I  cried  out: 
"  Jubal,  my  friend,  my  kinsman,  my  hero !  Is  it  you,  then, 
who  have  risked  your  life  to  save  me?  " 

I  threw  myself  beside  him.  He  crept  from  me.  I  caught 
his  meager  hand;  I  adjured  him  to  live  and  hope. 

He  started  away  wildly.  "  Touch  me  not ;  I  am  unfit  to 
live.  I — I  have  been  your  ruin,  and  yet  He  who  knows  the 
heart,  knows  that  I  alone  am  not  to  blame.  I  was  a  dupe  to 
furious  passions,  the  victim  of  evil  counselors,  the  prey  of 
disease  of  mind.  On  my  crimes  may  Heaven  have  mercy ! 
They  are  beyond  the  forgiveness  of  man." 

By  the  feeble  light,  which  showed  scarcely  more  than  the 
wretchedness  of  my  dungeon,  I  made  some  little  preparations 
for  the  refreshment  of  this  feverish  and  famished  being.  His 
story  agitated  him,  and  strongly  awakened  as  my  curiosity 
was,  I  forbore  all  question.  But  it  lay  a  burden  on  his  mind, 
and  I  suffered  him  to  make  his  confession. 

"I  loved  Salome,"  said  he;  "but I  was  so  secure  of  accept- 
ance, according  to  the  custom  of  our  tribe,  that  I  never  con- 
ceived the  possibility  of  an  obstacle  to  our  marriage.  My 
love  and  my  pride  were  equally  hurt.  The  new  distinctions 
of  her  husband  made  my  envy  bitterness.  To  change  the 
scene,  I  went  to  Jerusalem.  I  there  found  malice  active. 
Your  learning  and  talents  had  made  you  obnoxious  long  be- 
fore; your  new  fame  and  rank  turned  envy  into  hatred. 

279 


Carrg  Ebon  GUI  1  Come 


3ubar«  Onias,  whose  dagger  you  turned  from  the  bosom  of  the  noble 
Explanation  ^leazar,  remembered  his  disgrace.  He  headed  the  conspiracy 
against  you,  and  nothing  but  the  heroic  Vigor  with  which  you 
stirred  up  the  nation  could  have  saved  you  long  since  from 
the  last  extremities  of  faction.  My  unhappy  state  of  mind 
threw  me  into  his  hands.  I  was  inflamed  against  you  by  per- 
petual calumnies.  It  was  even  proposed  that  I  should  accuse 
you  before  the  Sanhedrin  of  dealing  with  the  powers  of  dark- 
ness. Proofs  were  offered  which  my  bewildered  reason 
could  scarcely  resist.  I  was  assailed  with  subtle  argument ; 
stimulated  by  sights  and  scenes  of  strange  import,  horrid  and 
mysterious  displays,  which  implicate  the  leaders  of  Jerusalem 
deeply  in  the  crime  of  the  idolaters.  Spirits,  or  the  sem- 
blances of  spirits,  were  raised  before  my  eyes;  voices  were 
heard  in  the  depths  and  in  the  air,  denouncing  you,  even  you, 
as  the  enemy  of  Judea  and  of  man ;  I  was  commanded,  in  the 
midst  of  thunders,  real  or  feigned,  to  destroy  you." 

Here  his  voice  sank,  his  frame  quivered ;  and  wrapping  his 
head  in  his  cloak,  he  remained  long  silent.  To  relieve  him 
from  his  confession,  I  asked  for  intelligence  of  my  family  and 
of  the  country. 

"Of  your  family  I  can  tell  you  nothing,"  said  he  mourn- 
fully; "I  shrank  from  the  very  mention  of  their  name.  Dur- 
ing these  two  years  I  had  but  one  pursuit — the  discovery  of 
your  prison.  I  refused  to  hear,  to  think,  of  other  things.  I 
felt  that  I  was  dying,  and  I  dreaded  to  appear  before  the 
great  tribunal  with  the  groans  from  your  dungeon  rising  up 
to  stifle  my  prayers." 

"But  is  our  country  still  torn  by  the  Roman  wolves? " 

"  The  whole  land  is  in  tumult.38  Blood  and  horror  are  under 
every  roof  from  Lebanon  to  Idumea.  The  Roman  sword  is 
out,  and  it  falls  with  cruel  havoc;  but  the  Jewish  dagger 
pays  it  home,  and  the  legions  quail  before  the  naked  valor  of 
the  peasantry.  Yet  what  is  valor  or  patriotism  to  us  now? 
We  are  in  our  grave !  " 

The  thought  of  my  family  exposed  to  the  miseries  of  a 
ferocious  war  only  kindled  my  eagerness  to  escape  from  this 
den  of  oblivion.  It  was  evening,  and  the  melancholy  moon 

280 


lapse  of  lears 


threw  the  old  feeble  gleam  on  the  water  which  had  so  long      mnotber 
been  to  me  the  only  mirror  of  her  countenance.     1  suddenly       Escape* 
observed  the  light  darkened  by  a  figure  stealing  along  the 
edge  of  the  pool.     It  approached,  and  the  words  were  whis- 
pered :  "  It  is  impossible  to  break  open  the  door  from  without 
while  the  guard  is  on  the  watch ;  but  try  whether  it  can  not 
be  opened  from  within."     A  crowbar  was  pushed  into  the 
loophole;  its  bearer,  the  slave,  who  had  escaped  by  swim- 
ming, jumped  down  and  was  gone. 

I  left  Jubal  where  he  lay,  lingered  at  the  door  till  all  ex- 
ternal sounds  ceased,  and  then  made  my  desperate  attempt. 
I  was  wasted  by  confinement,  but  the  mind  is  force.  I 
labored  with  furious  effort  at  the  mass  of  bolt  and  bar,  and 
at  length  felt  it  begin  to  give  way.  I  saw  a  star,  the  first  for 
two  long  years,  twinkling  through  the  fracture.  Another 
hour's  labor  unfixed  the  huge  hinge,  and  I  felt  the  night  air, 
cool  and  fragrant,  on  my  cheek.  I  now  grasped  the  last  bar, 
and  was  in  the  act  of  forcing  it  from  the  wall  when  the 
thought  of  Jubal  struck  me.  There  was  a  struggle  of  a  mo- 
ment in  my  mind.  To  linger  now  might  be  to  give  the  guard 
time  to  intercept  me.  I  was  hungering  for  liberty.  It  was 
to  me  at  that  moment  what  water  in  the  desert  is  to  the  dying 
caravan — the  sole  assuaging  of  a  frantic  thirst,  of  a  fiery  and 
consuming  fever  of  the  soul.  If  the  grains  of  dust  under 
my  feet  were  diamonds,  I  would  have  given  them  to  feel  my- 
self treading  the  dewy  grass  that  lay  waving  on  the  hillside 
before  me. 

A  tall  shadow  passed  along.  It  was  that  of  a  mountain 
shepherd,  spear  in  hand,  guarding  his  flock  from  the  wolves. 
He  stopped  at  a  short  distance  from  the  dungeon,  and,  gaz- 
ing on  the  moon,  broke  out  with  a  rude  but  sweet  voice  into 
song.  The  melody  was  wild,  a  lamentation  over  the  fallen 
glories  of  Judea,  "  whose  sun  was  set,  and  whose  remaining 
light,  sad  and  holy  as  the  beauty  of  the  moon,  must  soon 
decay."  The  word  freedom  mingled  in  the  song,  and  every 
note  of  that  solemn  strain  vibrated  to  my  heart.  The  shep- 
herd passed  along. 

I  tore  down  the  bar  and  gazed  upon  the  glorious  face  of 

281 


Gbou  Gill  I  Come 


Ube  heaven.  My  feet  were  upon  the  free  ground!  I  returned 
tbcoiuart  hastily  to  the  cell  and  told  Jubal  the  glad  tidings,  but  he 
heard  me  not.  To  abandon  him  there  was  to  give  him  up  to 
inevitable  death,  either  by  the  swords  of  the  guard  or  by  the 
less  merciful  infliction  of  famine.  I  carried  him  on  my 
shoulders  to  the  entrance.  A  roar  of  ridicule  broke  on  me  at 
the  threshold.  The  guard  stood  drawn  up  in  front  of  the 
dilapidated  door ;  and  the  sight  of  the  prisoner  entrapped  in 
the  very  crisis  of  escape  was  the  true  food  for  ruffian  mirth. 
Staggering  under  my  burden,  I  yet  burst  forward,  but  was 
received  in  a  circle  of  leveled  spears.  Resistance  was  now 
desperate ;  yet  even  when  sunk  upon  the  ground  under  my 
burden,  I  attempted  to  resist  or  gather  their  points  in  my 
bosom  and  perish.  But  my  feeble  efforts  only  raised  new 
scoffing.  I  was  unworthy  of  Roman  steel,  and  the  guard, 
after  amusing  themselves  with  my  impotent  rage,  dragged  me 
within  the  passage,  placed  Jubal,  who  neither  spoke  nor 
moved,  beside  me,  blocked  up  the  door,  and  wished  me 
"better  success  the  next  time." 

I  spent  the  remainder  of  that  night  in  fierce  agitation.  The 
apathy,  the  protecting  scorn  of  external  things,  that  I  had  nur- 
tured, as  other  men  would  nurture  happiness,  was  gone.  The 
glimpse  of  the  sky  haunted  me ;  a  hundred  times  in  the  night 
I  thought  that  I  was  treading  on  the  grass ;  that  I  felt  its 
refreshing  moisture ;  that  the  a^r  was  breathing  balm  on  my 
cheek;  that  the  shepherd's  song  was  still  echoing  in  my  ears, 
and  that  I  saw  him  pointing  to  a  new  way  of  escape  from  my 
inextricable  dungeon. 

In  one  of  those  half-dreams  I  flung  the  crowbar  from  my 
hand.  A  sound  followed,  like  the  fall  of  stones  into  water. 
The  sound  continued.  Still  stranger  echoes  followed,  which 
my  bewildered  fancy  turned  into  all  similitudes  of  earth  and 
ocean — the  march  of  troops,  the  distant  roar  of  thunder,  the 
dashing  of  billows,  the  clamor  of  battle,  boisterous  mirth, 
and  the  groaning  and  heaving  of  masts  and  rigging  in  storm. 
The  dungeon  was  as  dark  as  death,  and  I  felt  my  way 
toward  the  sound.  To  my  surprise,  the  accidental  blow  of 
the  bar  had  loosened  a  part  of  the  wall  and  made  an  orifice 

282 


Xapse  of  t>ears 


large  enough  to  admit  the  human  body.     The  pale  light  of         Ube 
morning  showed  a  cavern  beyond,  narrow  and  rugged.     It       a  ?n" 
branched  into  a  variety  of  passages,   some  of  them  fit  for 
nothing  but  the  fox's  burrow.     I  returned  to  the  lair  of  my 
unhappy  companion,  and  prevailed  on  him  to  follow  only  by 
the  declaration  that  if  he  refused  I  must  perish  by  his  side. 
My  scanty  provisions  were  gathered  up.     I  led  the  way,  and, 
determined  never  to  return  to  the  place  of  my  misery,  we  set 
forward  to  tempt  in  utter  darkness  the  last  chances  of  famine 
— pilgrims  of  the  tomb. 

We  wandered  through  a  fearful  labyrinth  for  a  period  which 
utterly  exhausted  us.  Of  night  and  day  we  had  no  knowledge. 
I  was  sinking,  when  a  low  groan  struck  my  ear.  I  listened 
pantingly ;  it  came  again.  It  was  evidently  from  some  object 
close  beside  me.  I  put  forth  my  hand  and  pushed  in  the 
door  of  a  large  cavern;  a  flash  of  light  illumined  the  passage. 
Another  step  would  have  plunged  us  into  a  pool  a  thousand 
feet  below. 


283 


CHAPTER  XXXVI 
Death  in  a  Cavern 

»n  ©ccan  THE  cavern  thus  opened  to  us 39  seemed  to  be  the  magazine 
of  some  place  of  trade.  It  was  crowded  with  chests  and 
bales,  heaped  together  in  disorder.  What  dangerous  owners 
we  might  meet  cost  us  no  question ;  life  and  liberty  were  be- 
fore us.  I  cheered  Jubal  till  his  scattered  senses  returned, 
and  he  clasped  my  feet  in  humiliation  and  gratitude. 

We  were  now  like  men  created  anew.  We  forced  our  way 
through  piles  that  but  an  hour  before  would  have  been  moun- 
tains to  our  despairing  strength.  The  cavern  opened  into  an- 
other, which  seemed  the  dwelling  of  some  master  of  extraordi- 
nary opulence.  Silken  tissues  hung  on  the  walls ;  the  ceiling 
was  a  Tyrian  canopy ;  precious  vases  stood  on  tables  of  citron 
and  ivory.  A  large  lyre,  superbly  ornamented,  was  suspended 
in  an  opening  of  the  rock,  and  gave  its  melancholy  music  to 
the  wind.  But  no  human  being  was  to  be  seen.  Was  this 
one  of  the  true  wonders  that  men  classed  among  the  fictions 
of  Greece  and  Asia?  The  Nereids  with  their  queen  could  not 
have  sought  a  more  secluded  palace.  Onward  we  heard  the 
sounds  of  ocean.  We  followed  them,  and  saw  one  of  those 
scenes  of  grandeur  which  nature  creates,  as  if  to  show  the  lit- 
tleness of  man. 

An  arch  three  times  the  height  of  the  loftiest  temple,  and 
ribbed  with  marble,  rose  broadly  over  our  heads.  Innumer- 
able shafts  of  the  purest  alabaster,  rounded  with  the  perfec- 
tion of  sculpture,  rose  in  groups  and  clusters  to  the  solemn 
roof ;  wildflowers  and  climbing  plants  of  every  scent  and  hue 
gathered  round  the  capitals,  and  hung  the  gigantic  sides  of 
the  hall  with  a  lovelier  decoration  than  ever  was  wrought  in 
loom.  The  awful  beauty  of  this  ocean  temple  bowed  the 
heart  in  instinctive  homage.  I  felt  the  sacredness  of  nature. 

284 


Dcatb  in  a  Cavern 


But  this  grandeur  was  alone  worthy  of  the  spectacle  to  which       ©n  tbe 
it   opened.     The  whole   magnificence   of   the  Mediterranean      cavern 
spread  before  our  eyes,  smooth  as  polished  silver  and  now 
reflecting  the  glories  of  the  west.     The  sun  lay  on  the  horizon 
in  the  midst  of  crimson  clouds,  like  a  monarch  on  the  funeral 
pile,  sinking  in  the  splendors  of  a  conflagration  that  lighted 
earth  and  ocean. 

But  at  this  noble  portal  we  had  reached  our  limit.  The 
sides  of  the  cavern  projected  so  far  into  the  waters  as  to  make 
a  small  anchorage.  Access  or  escape  by  land  was  palpably 
impossible.  Yet,  here  at  least,  we  were  masters.  No  claim- 
ant presented  himself  to  dispute  our  title.  The  provisions  of 
our  unknown  host  were  ample,  and,  to  our  eager  tastes,  were 
dangerous  from  their  luxury.  The  evening  that  we  passed  at 
the  mouth  of  the  cave,  exhilarated  with  the  first  sensation  of 
liberty,  and  enjoying  every  aspect  and  voice  of  the  lovely 
scene  with  the  keenness  of  the  most  unhoped-for  novelty, 
was  a  full  recompense  for  the  toils  and  terrors  of  the  laby- 
rinth. 

The  sun  went  down.  The  surge  that  died  at  our  feet  mur- 
mured peace;  the  wheeling  sea-birds,  as  their  long  trains 
steered  homeward,  pouring  out  from  time  to  time  a  clangor 
of  wild  sounds  that  descended  to  us  in  harmony ;  the  little 
white-sailed  vessels,  that  skimmed  along  the  distant  waters 
like  summer  flies;  the  breeze  waving  the  ivy  and  arbutus, 
that  festooned  our  banquet-hall,  alike  spoke  to  the  heart  the 
language  of  peace. 

"  If,"  said  I,  "  my  death -bed  were  to  be  left  to  my  own 
choice,  on  the  edge  of  this  cavern  would  I  wish  to  take  my 
last  farewell." 

"To  the  dying  all  places  must  be  indifferent,"  replied  my 
companion;  "when  Death  is  at  hand,  his  shadow  fills  the 
mind.  What  matters  it  to  the  exile,  who  in  a  few  moments 
must  leave  his  country  forever,  on  what  spot  of  its  shore  his 
last  step  is  planted?  Perhaps  the  lovelier  that  spot  the 
more  painful  the  parting.  If  I  must  have  my  choice,  let  me 
die  in  the  dungeon  or  in  battle :  in  the  chain  that  makes  me 
hate  the  earth,  or  in  the  struggle  that  makes  it  forgotten." 

285 


Gbou  Cill  1f  Come 


Subai'a  "Yet,"  said  I,  "even  for  battle,  if  we  would  acquit  our- 
selves as  becomes  men,  is  not  some  previous  rest  almost  es- 
sential? and  for  the  sterner  conflict  with  that  mighty  enemy 
before  whom  our  strength  is  vapor,  is  it  not  well  to  prepare 
the  whole  means  of  mental  fortitude?  I  would  not  perish  in 
the  irritation  of  the  dungeon,  in  the  blind  fury  of  man 
against  man,  nor  in  the  hot  and  giddy  whirl  of  human  cares. 
Let  me  lay  my  sinking  frame  where  nothing  shall  intrude 
upon  the  nobler  business  of  the  mind.  But  these  are  melan- 
choly thoughts.  Come,  Jubal,  fill  to  the  speedy  deliverance 
of  our  country." 

"  Here,  then,  to  her  speedy  deliverance,  and  the  glory  of 
those  who  fight  her  battles, ! "  The  cup  was  filled  to  the  brim, 
but  just  as  the  wine  touched  his  lips  he  flung  it  aAvay.  "  No," 
exclaimed  he,  in  bitterness  of  soul,  "  it  is  not  for  such  as  I  to 
join  in  the  aspirations  of  the  patriot  and  the  soldier.  Prince 
of  Naphtali,  your  generous  nature  has  forgiven  me,  but 
there  is  an  accuser  here" — and  he  struck  his  withered 
hand  wildly  upon  his  bosom — "that  can  never  be  silenced. 
Under  the  delusions,  the  infernal  delusions  of  your  enemies, 
I  followed  you  through  a  long  period  of  your  career,  unseen. 
Every  act,  almost  every  thought,  was  made  known  to  me,  for 
you  were  surrounded  by  the  agents  of  your  enemies.  I  was 
driven  on  by  the  belief  that  you  were  utterly  accursed  by  our 
law,  and  that  to  drive  the  dagger  to  your  heart  was  to  redeem 
our  cause.  But  the  act  was  against  my  nature,  and  in  the 
struggle  my  reason  failed.  When  I  stood  before  yoti  on  the 
morning  of  the  great  battle,  you  saw  me  in  one  of  those  fits  of 
frenzy  that  always  followed  a  new  command  to  murder.  The 
misery  of  seeing  Salome's  husband  once  more  triumphant 
finally  plunged  me  into  the  Roman  ranks  to  seek  for  death. 
I  escaped,  followed  the  army,  and  reached  Bethhoron  in  the 
midst  of  the  assault.  Still  frantic,  I  thought  that  in  you  I 
saw  my  rival  victorious.  It  was  this  hand,  this  parricidal 
hand,  that  struck  the  blow."  He  covered  his  face  and  wept 
convulsively. 

The  mystery  of  my  captivity  was  now  cleared  up,  and  feel- 
ing only  pity  for  the  ruin  that  remorse  had  made,  I  succeeded 

286 


2>eatb  in  a  Cavern 


at  last  in  restoring  him  to  some  degree  of  calmness.     I  even      »  s^in 
ventured  to  cheer  him  with  the  hope  of  better  days,  when  in 
the  palace  of  his  fathers  I  should  acknowledge  my  deliverer. 

With  a  pressure  of  the  hand  and  a  melancholy  smile,  "  I 
know,"  said  he,  "that  I  have  not  long  to  live.  But  if  a 
prayer  of  mine  is  to  be  answered  by  that  greatest  of  all  Pow- 
ers whom  I  have  so  deeply  offended,  it  would  be,  to  die  in" 
some  act  of  service  for  my  prince  and  my  pardoner!  But 
hark!" 

A  groan  was  uttered  close  to  the  spot  where  we  sat.  I 
perceived  for  the  first  time  an  opening  behind  some  furni- 
ture ;  entered,  and  saw  lying  on  a  bed  a  man  apparently  in 
the  last  stage  of  exhaustion. 

He  exclaimed:  "Three  days  of  misery — three  days  left 
alone,  to  die — without  food,  without  help,  abandoned  by  all. 
But  I  have  deserved  it.  Traitor  and  villain  as  I  am,  I  have 
deserved  a  thousand  deaths !  " 

I  looked  upon  this  outcry  as  but  the  raving  of  pain,  and 
brought  him  some  wine.  He  swallowed  it  with  avidity,  but 
even  while  I  held  the  cup  to  his  lips,  he  sank  back  with  a  cry 
of  horror. 

"  Aye,"  cried  he,  "  I  knew  that  I  could  not  escape  you ;  you 
have  come  at  last.  Spirit,  leave  me  to  die!  Or  if,"  said  he, 
half  rising  and  looking  in  my  face  with  a  steady  yet  dim 
glare,  "  you  can  tell  the  secrets  of  the  grave,  tell  me  what  is 
my  fate.  I  adjure  you,  fearful  being,  by  the  God  of  Israel ; 
by  the  gods  of  the  pagan,  or  if  you  acknowledge  any  god  be- 
yond the  dreams  of  miserable  man,  tell  me  what  I  am  to  be?  " 

I  continued  silent,  struck  with  the  agony  of  his  features. 
Jubal  entered,  and  the  looks  of  the  dying  man  were  turned 
on  him. 

"  More  of  them !  "  he  exclaimed,  "  more  tormentors !  more 
terrible  witnesses  of  the  tortures  of  a  wretch  whom  earth 
casts  out !  What  I  demand  of  you  is  the  fate  of  those  who 
live  as  I  have  lived — the  betrayer,  the  plunderer,  the  man 
of  blood?  But  you  will  give  me  no  answer.  The  time  of 
your  power  is  not  come." 

He  lay  for  a  short  period  in  mental  sufferings ;  then,  start- 

287 


Cbon  GUI  U  Come 


consciences  ing  upon  his  feet  by  an  extraordinary  effort  of  nature,  and 
with  furious  execrations  at  the  tardiness  of  death,  he  tore  off 
the  bandage  which  covered  a  wound  on  his  forehead.  The 
blood  streamed  down  and  made  him  a  ghastly  spectacle. 

"  Aye,"  cried  he,  as  he  looked  upon  his  stained  hands,  "  this 
is  the  true  color;  the  traitor's  blood  should  cover  the  traitor's 
hands.  Years  of  crime,  this  is  your  reward.  The  betrayal  of 
my  noble  master  to  death,  the  ruin  of  his  house,  the  destruc- 
tion of  his  name ;  these  were  the  right  beginnings  to  the  life 
of  the  robber." 

A  peal  of  thunder  rolled  over  our  heads  and  the  gush  of 
the  rising  waves  roared  through  the  cavern. 

"  Aye,  there  is  your  army,"  he  cried,  "  coming  in  the  storm. 
I  have  seen  your  angry  visages  at  night  in  the  burning  vil- 
lage ;  I  have  seen  you  in  the  shipwreck ;  I  have  seen  you  in 
the  howling  wilderness ;  but  now  I  see  you  in  shapes  more 
terrible  than  all." 

The  wind  bursting  through  the  long  vaults  forced  open  the 
door. 

"  Welcome,  welcome  to  your  prey !  "  he  yelled,  and  drawing 
a  knife  from  his  sash,  darted  it  into  his  bosom.  The  act  was 
so  instantaneous  that  to  arrest  the  blow  was  impossible.  He 
fell  and  died  with  a  brief,  fierce  struggle. 

"  Horrible  end,"  murmured  Jubal,  gazing  on  the  silent 
form  ;  "  happier  for  that  wretch  to  have  perished  in  the  hot- 
test strife  of  man  or  nature,  trampled  in  the  charge  or 
plunged  into  the  billows !  Save  me  from  the  misery  of  lonely 
death!" 

"  Yet,"  said  I,  "  it  was  our  presence  that  made  him  feel. 
He  was  guilty  of  some  crime,  perhaps  of  many,  that  the  sight 
of  us  awoke  to  torment  his  dying  hour.  I  saw  that  he  gazed 
upon  me  with  evident  alarm,  and  not  improbably  my  withered 
face,  and  those  rags  of  my  dungeon,  startled  him  into  recol- 
lections too  strong  for  his  decaying  reason." 

"  Have  you  ever  seen  him  before?  " 

"Never." 

I  gave  a  reluctant  look  at  the  hideous  distortion  of  a  coun- 
tenance still  full  of  the  final  agony.  I  turned  away  in  awe. 

288 


S)eatb  in  a  Cavern 


"  Now,  Jubal,  to  think  of  ourselves.     Soon  we  shall  have   Ube  arrival 
fairly  tried  our  experiment.     A  few  days  must  exhaust  our 
provisions.     The  surges  roll  on  the  one  hand;  on  the  other 
we  have  the  rock." 

"But  we  shall  die  at  least  in  pomp,"  said  Jubal.  "No 
king  of  Asia  will  lie  in  a  nobler  vault,  nor  even  have  sincerer 
rejoicings  at  his  end;  the  crows  and  vultures  are  no  hypo- 
crites." 

The  dead  man's  turban  had  fallen  off  in  his  last  violence, 
and  I  perceived  the  corner  of  a  letter  in  its  folds.  I  read  it; 
its  intelligence  startled  me.  It  was  from  the  commandant  of 
the  Roman  fleet  on  the  coast  mentioning  that  a  squadron  was 
in  readiness  to  "attack  the  pirates  in  their  cavern." 

A  heavy  sound,  as  if  something  of  immense  weight  had 
rushed  into  the  entrance  of  the  arch,  followed  by  many  voices, 
stopped  our  conversation. 

"The  Romans  have  come,"  said  I,  "and  now  you  will  be 
indulged  with  your  wish— our  lives  are  forfeited — for  never 
will  I  go  back  to  the  dungeon." 

"  I  hear  no  sound  but  that  of  laughter,"  said  Jubal,  listen- 
ing ;  "  those  invaders  are  the  merriest  of  cutthroats.  But  be- 
fore we  give  ourselves  actually  into  their  hands,  let  us  see  of 
what  they  are  made." 

We  left  the  chamber  and  returned  to  the  recess  from  which 
we  had  originally  emerged.  It  commanded  a  view  of  the 
chief  avenues  of  the  cavern ;  and  while  I  secured  the  door, 
Jubal  mounted  the  wall,  and  reconnoitered  the  enemy  through 
a  fissure. 

"These  are  no  Romans,"  whispered  he,  "but  a  set  of  the 
most  jovial  fellows  that  ever  robbed  on  the  seas.  They  have 
clearly  been  driven  in  by  the  storm,  and  are  now  preparing  to 
feast.  Their  voyage  has  been  lucky,  if  I  am  to  judge  by  the 
bales  that  they  are  hauling  in ;  and  if  wine  can  do  it,  they  will 
be  in  an  hour  or  two  drunk  to  the  last  man." 

"  Then  we  can  take  advantage  of  their  sleep,  let  loose  one 
of  their  boats,  and  away,"  said  I. 

I  mounted  to  see  this  pirate  festivity.  In  the  various  vistas 
pf  the  huge  cavern  groups  of  bold-faced  and  athletic  men 

19  289 


Cbou  Ctlt  fl  Come 


lpiunt>crcrs  were  gathering,  all  busy  with  the  work  of  the  time ;  some  pil- 
ing fires  against  the  walls  and  preparing  provisions;  some 
stripping  off  their  wet  garments  and  bringing  others  out  of 
heaps  of  every  kind  and  color,  in  the  recesses  of  the  rock ; 
some  wiping  the  spray  from  rusty  helmets  and  corselets. 
The  vaults  rang  with  songs,  boisterous  laughter,  the  rattling 
of  armor,  and  the  creaking  and  rolling  of  chests  of  plunder. 
The  dashing  of  the  sea  under  the  gale  filled  up  this  animated 
dissonance;  and  at  intervals  the  thunder,  bursting  directly 
above  our  heads,  mingled  with  all  and  overpowered  all. 


390 


CHAPTER  XXXVII 

<A  ^Pirate  Band 

THE  chamber  whose  costly  equipment  first  told  us  of  the  &  Pirate  feast 
opulence  of  its  masters  was  set  apart  for  the  chief  rovers, 
who  were  soon  seated  at  a  large  table  in  its  center,  covered 
with  luxury.  Flagons  of  wine  were  brought  from  cellars 
known  only  to  the  initiated;  fruits  piled  in  silver  baskets 
blushed  along  the  board ;  plate  of  the  richest  workmanship, 
the  plunder  of  palaces,  glittered  in  every  form ;  tripods  loaded 
with  aromatic  wood  threw  a  blaze  up  to  the  roof;  and  from 
the  central  arch  hung  a  superb  Greek  lamp,  shooting  out  light 
from  a  hundred  mouths  of  serpents  twined  in  all  possible 
ways.  The  party  before  me  were  about  thirty40  as  fierce-look- 
ing figures '  as  ever  toiled  through  tempest ;  some  splendidly 
attired,  some  in  the  rough  costume  of  the  deck;  but  all  jovial, 
and  evidently  determined  to  make  the  most  of  their  time.  .  • 
Other  men  had  paid  for  the  banquet,  and  there  was  probably 
not  a  vase  on  their  table  that  was  not  the  purchase  of  personal 
hazard.  They  sat,  conquerors,  in  the  midst  of  their  own 
trophies;  and  not  the  most  self-indulgent  son  of  opulence 
could  have  luxuriated  more  in  his  wealth,  nor  the  most  ex- 
quisite student  of  epicurism  have  discussed  his  luxuries  with 
more  finished  and  fastidious  science.  Lounging  on  couches 
covered  with  embroidered  draperies,  too  costly  for  all  but 
princes,  they  lectured  the  cooks  without  mercy :  the  venison, 
pheasants,  sturgeon,  and  a  multitude  of  other  dishes  were  in 
succession  pronounced  utterly  unfit  to  be  touched,  and  the 
wine  was  tasted,  and  often  dismissed,  with  the  caprice  of 
palates  refined  to  the  highest  point  of  delicacy.  Yet  the  sea 
air  was  not  to  be  trifled  with,  and  a  succession  of  courses 
appeared,  and  were  despatched  with  a  diligence  that  prohib- 
ited all  language  beyond  the  pithy  phrases  of  delight  or  dis- 
appointment. 

291 


Carrg  Cbou  GUI  1  Come 


The  wine  at  length  set  the  conversation  flowing,  and  from 
the  merits  of  the  various  vintages  the  speakers  diverged  into 
the  general  subjects  of  politics  and  their  profession;  on  the 
former  of  which  they  visited  all  parties  with  tolerably  equal 
ridicule;  and  on  the  latter,  declared  unanimously  that  the 
only  cause  worthy  of  a  man  of  sense  was  the  cause  for  which 
they  were  assembled  round  that  table.  The  next  stage  was 
the  more  hazardous  one  of  personal  jocularity;  yet  even  this 
was  got  over  with  but  a  few  murmurs  from  the  parties  suffer- 
ing. Songs  and  toasts  to  themselves,  their  loves,  and  their 
enterprises  in  all  time  to  come  relieved  the  drier  topics ;  and 
all  was  good  fellowship  until  one  unlucky  goblet  of  spoiled 
wine  soured  the  banquet. 

"  So,  this  you  call  Chian, "  exclaimed  a  broad-built  figure, 
whose  yellow  hair  and  blue  eyes  showed  him  to  be  a  son  of  the 
North ;  "  may  I  be  poisoned,"  and  he  made  a  hideous  grimace, 
"  if  more  detestable  vinegar  ever  was  brewed ;  let  me  but  meet 
the  merchant,  and  I  shall  teach  him  a  lesson  that  he  will  re- 
member when  next  he  thinks  of  murdering  men  at  their  meals. 
Here,  baboon,  take  it;  it  is  fit  only  for  such  as  you." 

He  flung  the  goblet  point-blank  at  the  head  of  a  negro, 
who  escaped  it  only  by  bounding  to  one  side  with  the  agility 
of  the  ape  that  he  much  resembled. 

"Bad  news,  Vladomir,  for  our  winter's  stock,  for  half  of 
it  is  Chian,"  said  a  dark-featured  and  brilliant-eyed  Arab, 
who  sat  at  the  head  of  the  table.  "Ho!  Syphax,  fill  round 
from  that  flagon,  and  let  us  hold  a  council  of  war  upon  the 
delinquent  wine." 

The  slave  dexterously  changed  the  wine;  it  was  poured 
round,  pronounced  first-rate,  and  the  German  was  laughed  at 
remorselessly. 

"  I  suppose  I  am  not  to  believe  my  own  senses,"  remon- 
strated Vladomir. 

"Oh!  by  all  means,  as  long  as  you  keep  them,"  said  one, 
laughing. 

"Will  you  tell  me  that  I  don't  know  the  difference  between 
wine  and  that  poison?  " 

"  Neither  you  nor  any  man,  friend  Vladomir,  can  know  much 

292 


pirate  JBanO 


upon  the  subject  after  his  second  dozen  of  goblets,"    sneered    »  HMspute 
another  at  the  German's  national  propensity. 

"  You  do  him  injustice,"  said  a  subtle-visaged  Chiote  at  the 
opposite  side  of  the  table.  "  He  is  as  much  in  his  senses  this 
moment  as  ever  he  was.  There  are  brains  of  that  happy  con- 
stitution which  defy  alike  reason  and  wine." 

"Well,  I  shall  say  no  more,"  murmured  the  German  sul- 
lenly, "  than  confound  the  spot  on  which  that  wine  grew, 
wherever  it  lies ;  the  hungriest  vineyard  on  the  Rhine  would 
be  ashamed  to  show  its  equal.  By  Woden,  the  very  taste 
will  go  with  me  to  my  grave." 

"Perhaps  it  may,"  said  the  Chiote,  irritated  for  the  honor 
of  his  country,  and  significantly  touching  his  dagger.  "  But 
were  you  ever  in  the  island?  " 

"  No ;  nor  ever  shall,  with  my  own  consent,  if  that  flagon 
be  from  it,"  growled  the  German,  with  his  broad  eye  glaring 
on  his  adversary.  "  I  have  seen  enough  of  its  produce,  alive 
and  dead  to-night. " 

The  wind  roared  without,  and  a  tremendous  thunder-peal 
checked  the  angry  dialog.  There  was  a  general  pause. 

"Come,  comrades,  no  quarreling,"  cried  the  Arab. 
"  Heavens,  how  the  storm  comes  on !  Nothing  can  ride  out 
to-night.  Here's  the  captain's  health,  and  safe  home  to 
him." 

The  cups  were  filled ;  but  the  disputants  were  not  to  be  so 
easily  reconciled. 

"Ho!  Meinnon,"  cried  the  master  of  the  table  to  a  sallow 
Egyptian  richly  clothed,  whose  simitar  and  dagger  sparkled 
with  jewels.  He  was  engaged  in  close  council  with  the  rover 
at  his  side.  "Layby  business  now;  you  don't  like  the  wine 
or  the  toast?  " 

The  Egyptian,  startled  from  his  conference,  professed  his 
perfect  admiration  of  both,  and  sipping,  returned  to  his  whis- 
per. 

"  Meinnon  will  not  drink  for  fear  of  letting  out  his  secrets ; 
for  instance,  where  he  found  that  simitar,  or  what  has  become 
of  the  owner,"  said  a  young  and  handsome  Idumean  with  a 
smile. 

293 


{Tarn?  Gbou  Sill  f  Come 


"Cbe  Egyptian  "  I  should  like  to  know  by  what  authority  you  ask  ine  ques- 
tions on  the  subject.  If  it  had  been  in  your  hands,  I  should 
have  never  thought  any  necessary,"  retorted  the  scowling 
Egyptian. 

"Aye,  of  course  not,  Meinnon;  iny  way  is  well  known. 
Fight  rather  than  steal;  plunder  rather  than  cheat;  and, 
after  the  affair  is  over,  account  to  captain  and  crew,  rather 
than  glitter  in  their  property,"  was  the  Idumean's  answer,  with 
a  glow  of  indignation  reddening  his  striking  features. 

"  By  the  by,"  said  the  Arab,  in  whose  eye  the  gems  flashed 
temptingly,  "  I  think  Meinnon  is  always  under  a  lucky  star. 
We  come  home  in  rags,  but  he  regularly  returns  the  better  for 
his  trip ;  Ptolemy  himself  has  not  a  more  exquisite  tailor.  All 
depends,  however,  upon  a  man's  knowledge  of  navigation  in 
this  world." 

"  And  friend  Memnon  knows  every  point  of  it  but  plain 
sailing,"  said  the  contemptuous  Idumean. 

The  Egyptian's  sallow  skin  grew  livid.  "  I  may  be  coward, 
or  liar,  or  pilferer,"  exclaimed  he ;  "  but  if  I  were  the  whole 
three,  I  could  stand  no  chance  of  being  distinguished  in  the 
present  company." 

"  Insult  to  the  whole  profession,"  laughingly  exclaimed  the 
Arab.  "  And  now  I  insist,  in  the  general  name,  on  your  giv- 
ing a  plain  account  of  the  proceeds  of  your  last  cruise.  You 
can  be  at  no  loss  for  it." 

"  No ;  for  he  has  it  by  his  side,  and  in  the  most  brilliant 
arithmetic,"  said  Hanno,  a  satirical-visaged  son  of  Carthage. 

"  I  must  hear  no  more  on  the  subject,"  bitterly  pronounced 
the  Egyptian.  "Those  diamonds  belong  to  neither  captain 
nor  crew.  I  purchased  them  fairly,  and  the  seller  was,  I 
will  undertake  to  say,  the  better  off  of  the  two." 

"Yes;  I  will  undertake  to  say,"  laughed  the  Idumean, 
"  that  you  left  him  the  happiest  dog  in  existence.  It  is  care 
that  makes  man  miserable,  and  the  less  we  have  to  care  for 
the  happier  we  are.  I  have  not  a  doubt  you  left  the  fellow 
at  the  summit  of  earthly  rapture !  " 

"Aye!  "  added  the  Arab,  "without  a  sorrow  or  a  shekel  in 
the  world." 

294 


B  pirate  3Ban& 


Boisterous  mirth  followed  the  Egyptian,  as  he  started  from 
his  couch  and  left  the  hall,  casting  fierce  looks  in  his  retreat, 
like  Parthian  arrows,  on  the  carousal.  The  German  had,  in 
the  mean  time,  fallen  back  in  a  doze,  from  which  he  was  dis- 
turbed by  the  slave's  refilling  his  goblet. 

"  Aye,  that  tastes  like  wine,"  said  he,  glancing  at  the  Greek, 
who  had  by  no  means  forgotten  the  controversy. 

"  Taste  what  it  may,  it  is  the  very  same  wine  that  you  railed 
at  half  an  hour  ago,"  returned  the  Chiote;  "the  truth  is,  my 
good  Vladomir,  that  the  wine  of  Greece  is  like  its  language ; 
both  are  exquisite  and  unrivaled  to  those  who  understand 
them.  But  Nature  wisely  adapts  tastes  to  men,  and  men  to 
tastes.  I  am  not  at  all  surprised  that  north  of  the  Danube 
they  prefer  beer." 

The  German  had  nothing  to  give  back  for  the  taunt  but 
the  frown  that  gathered  on  his  black  brow. 

The  Chiote  pursued  his  triumph,  and  with  a  languid,  lover- 
like  gaze  on  the  wine,  which  sparkled  in  purple  radiance  to 
the  brim  of  its  enameled  cup,  he  apostrophized  the  produce 
of  his  fine  country. 

"  Delicious  grape !  —  essence  of  the  sunshine  and  of  the  dew ! 
— what  vales  but  the  vales  of  Chios  could  have  produced  thee? 
What  tint  of  heaven  is  brighter  than  thy  hue?  What  fragrance 
of  earth  richer  than  thy  perfume?  " 

He  lightly  sipped  a  few  drops  from  the  edge,  like  a  libation 
to  the  deity  of  taste. 

"  Exquisite  draft !  "  breathed  he ;  "  unequaled  but  by  the 
rosy  lip  and  melting  sigh  of  beauty !  Well  spoke  the  proverb : 
'  Chios,  whose  wines  steal  every  head,  and  whose  women, 
every  heart.' ' 

"You  forget  the  rest,"  gladly  interrupted  the  German — 
"and  whose  men  steal  everything." 

A  general  laugh  followed  the  retort,  such  as  it  was. 

"  Scythian !  "  said  the  Greek  across  the  table,  in  a  voice 
made  low  by  rage,  and  preparing  to  strike. 

"Liar!"  roared  the  German,  sweeping  a  blow  of  his 
falchion,  which  the  Chiote  escaped  only  by  flinging  himself  on 
the  ground.  The  blow  fell  on  the  table,  where  it  caused  wide 

295 


Cbou  GUI  1  Come 


•Che  Captain  devastation.  All  now  started  up ;  swords  were  out  on  every 
side,  and  nothing  but  forcing  the  antagonists  to  their  cells 
prevented  the  last  perils  of  a  difference  of  palate.  The  storm 
bellowed  deeper  and  deeper. 

"Here's  to  the  luck  that  sent  us  back  before  this  north- 
wester thought  of  stirring  abroad,"  said  the  Arab.  "  I  wish 
our  noble  captain  were  among  us  now.  Where  was  he  last 
seen?  " 

"  Steering  westward,  off  and  on  Rhodes,  looking  out  for  the 
galley  that  carried  the  procurator's  plate.  But  this  Avind 
must  send  him  in  before  morning,"  was  the  answer  of  Hanno. 

"  Or  send  him  to  the  bottom,  where  many  as  bold  a  fellow 
has  gone  before  him,"  whispered  a  tall,  haggard-looking 
Italian  to  the  answerer. 

"That  would  be  good  news  for  one  of  us  at  least,"  said 
Hanno.  "  You  would  have  no  reckoning  to  settle.  Your 
crew  made  a  handsome  affair  of  the  Alexandrian  prize,  and 
the  captain  might  be  looking  for  returns,  friend  Tertullus." 

"  Then  let  him  look  to  himself.     His  time  may  be  nearer 
than  he  thinks.     His  haughtiness  to  men  as  good  as  himself 
may  provoke  justice   before  long,"  growled  the  Italian,  in 
memory  of  some  late  discipline. 
Hanno  laughed  loudly. 

"  Justice ! — is  the  man  mad?  The  very  sound  is  high  trea- 
son in  our  gallant  company.  Why,  comrade,  if  justice  ever 
ventured  here,  where  would  some  of  us  have  been  these  last 
six  months?  " 

The  sound  caught  the  general  ear ;  the  allusion  was  under- 
stood, and  the  Italian  was  displeased 

11 1  hate  to  be  remarkable,"  said  he ;  "  with  the  honest  it 
may  be  proper  to  be  honest;  but  beside  you,  my  facetious 
Hanno,  a  man  should  cultivate  a  little  of  the  opposite  school 
in  mere  compliment  to  his  friend.  You  had  no  scruples  Avhen 
you  hanged  the  merchant  the  other  day." 

A  murmur  arose  in  the  hall. 

"Comrades,"  said  Hanno,  with  the  air  of  an  orator,  "hear 
me  too  on  that  subject:  three  words  will  settle  the  question 
to  men  of  sense.  The  merchant  was  a  regular  trader.  Will 

296 


B  pirate  JBanD 


any  man  who  knows  the  world,  and  has  brains  an  atom  clearer  Ube 
than  those  with  which  fate  has  gifted  my  virtuous  friend, 
believe  that  I,  a  regular  liver  by  the  merchant,  would  extin- 
guish that  by  which  I  live?  Sensible  physicians  never  kill  a 
patient  while  lie  can  pay ;  sensible  kings  never  exterminate  a 
province  when  it  can  produce  anything  in  the  shape  of  a  tax ; 
sensible  women  never  pray  for  the  extinction  of  our  sex  until 
they  despair  of  getting  husbands;  sensible  husbands  never 
wish  their  wives  out  of  the  world  while  they  can  get  anything 
by  their  living :  so,  sensible  men  of  our  profession  will  never 
put  a  merchant  under  water  until  they  can  make  nothing  by 
his  remaining  above  it.  I  have,  for  instance,  raised  contribu- 
tions on  that  same  trader  every  summer  these  five  years ;  and, 
by  the  blessing  of  fortune,  hope  to  have  the  same  thing  to  say 
for  five  times  as  many  years  to  come.  No,  I  would  not  see 
any  man  touch  a  hair  of  his  head.  In  six  months  he  will 
have  a  cargo  again,  and  I  shall  meet  him  with  as  much  pleas- 
ure as  ever." 

The  Carthaginian  was  highly  applauded. 

"Malek,  you  don't  drink,"  cried  the  Arab  to  a  gigantic 
Ethiopian  toward  the  end  of  the  table.  "  Here,  I  pledge  you 
in  the  very  wine  that  was  marked  for  the  Emperor's  cellar." 

Malek  tasted  it,  and  sent  back  a  cup  in  return. 

"The  Emperor's  wine  may  be  good  enough  for  him,"  was 
the  message ;  "  but  I  prefer  the  wine  yonder,  marked  for  the 
Emperor's  butler." 

The  verdict  was  fully  in  favor  of  the  Ethiopian . 

"  In  all  matters  of  this  kind,"  said  Malek,  with  an  air  of 
supreme  taste,  "  I  look  first  to  the  stores  of  the  regular  pro- 
fessors— the  science  of  life  is  in  the  masters:  of  the  kitchen 
and  the  cellar.  Your  emperors  and  procurators,  of  course, 
must  be  content  with  what  they  can  get.  But  the  man  who 
wishes  to  have  the  first-rate  wine  should  be  on  good  terms  with 
the  butler.  I  caught  this  sample  on  my  last  voyage  after 
the  imperial  fleet.  Nero  never  had  such  wine  on  his  table." 

He  indulged  himself  in  a  long  draft  of  this  exclusive 
luxury,  and  sank  on  his  couch,  with  his  haiid  clasping  the 
superbly  embossed  flagon — a  part  of  his  prize. 

297 


tlarri  CTbou  Gill  11  Come 


tibc  t  "The  black  churl,"  said  a  little  shriveled  Syrian,  "never 
•Czrtnt"  6  shares;  he  keeps  his  wine  as  he  keeps  his  money." 

"Aye,  he  keeps  everything  but  his  character,"  whispered 
Hanno. 

"There  3rou  wrong  him,"  observed  the  Syrian;  "no  man 
keeps  his  character  more  steadily.  By  Beelzebub!  it  is  like 
his  skin ;  neither  will  be  blacker  the  longest  day  he  has  to 
live." 

A  roar  of  laughter  rose  round  the  hall. 

"  Black  or  not  black,"  exclaimed  the  Ethiopian,  with  a  sul- 
len grin,  that  showed  his  teeth  like  the  fangs  of  a  wild  beast, 
"my  blood's  as  red  as  yours." 

"Possibly,"  retorted  the  little  Syrian;  "but  as  I  must  take 
your  word  on  the  subject  till  I  shall  have  seen  a  drop  of  it 
spilt  in  fair  fight,  1  only  hope  I  may  live  and  be  happy  till 
then ;  and  I  can  not  put  up  a  better  prayer  for  a  merry  old 
age." 

"There  is  no  chance  of  your  ever  seeing  it,"  growled  the 
Ethiopian ;  "  you  love  the  baggage  and  the  hold  too  well  to 
leave  them  to  accident,  be  the  fight  fair  or  foul." 

The  laugh  was  easily  raised,  and  it  was  turned  against  the 
Syrian,  who  started  up  and  declaimed  with  a  fury  of  gesture 
that  made  the  ridicule  still  louder. 

"  I  appeal  to  all,"  cried  the  fiery  orator;  "  I  appeal  to  every 
man  of  honor  among  us,  whether  by  night  or  day,  on  land  or 
water,  I  have  ever  been  backward." 

"Never  at  an  escape,"  interrupted  the  Ethiopian. 

"  Whether  I  have  ever  broken  faith  with  the  band?  " 

"  Likely  enough ;  where  nobody  trusts,  we  may  defy  trea- 
son." 

"  Whether  my  character  and  services  are  not  known  and 
valued  by  our  captain?  "  still  louder  exclaimed  the  irritated 
Syrian . 

"  Aye,  just  as  little  as  they  deserve." 

"Silence,  brute!"  screamed  the  diminutive  adversary,  cast- 
ing his  keen  eyes,  that  doubly  blazed  with  rage,  on  the  Ethi- 
opian, who  still  lay  embracing  the  flagon  at  his  ease.  "  With 
heroes  of  your  complexion  I  disdain  all  contest.  If  I  must 

298 


B  pirate  JBanD 


fight,  it  shall  be  with  human  beings ;  not  with  savages — not 
with  monsters:" 

The  Ethiopian's  black  cheek  absolutely  grew  red ;  this  taunt 
was  the  sting.  At  one  prodigious  bound  he  sprang  across  the 
table,  and  darted  upon  the  Syrian's  throat  with  the  roar  and 
the  fury  of  a  tiger.  All  was  instant  confusion;  lamps, 
flagons,  fruits,  were  trampled  011;  the  table  was  overthrown; 
swords  and  poniards  Mashed  in  all  hands.  The  little  Syrian 
yelled,  strangling  in  the  grasp  of  the  black  giant,  and  it  was 
with  the  utmost  difficulty  that  he  could  be  rescued.  The 
Arab,  a  fine  athletic  fellow,  achieved  this  object,  and  bade 
him  run  for  his  life — a  command  with  which  he  complied  un- 
hesitatingly, followed  by  a  cheer  from  Hanno,  who  swore  that 
if  all  trades  failed,  he  would  make  his  fortune  by  his  heels  at 
the  Olympic  games. 

Our  share  in  the  scene  was  come.  The  fugitive,  naturally 
bold  enough,  but  startled  by  the  savage  ferocity  of  his  antag- 
onist, made  his  way  toward  our  place  of  refuge.  The  black 
got  loose  and  pursued.  I  disdained  to  be  dragged  forth  as  a 
lurking  culprit,  and  flinging  open  the  door  stood  before  the 
crowd.  The  effect  was  marvelous.  The  tumult  was  hushed 
at  once.  Our  haggered  forms,  seen  by  that  half -intoxication 
which  bewilders  the  brain  before  it  enfeebles  the  senses,  were 
completely  fitted  to  startle  the  superstition  that  lurks  in  the 
bosom  of  every  son  of  the  sea;  and  for  the  moment  they 
evidently  took  us  for  something  better,  or  worse,  than  man. 


299 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII 

Salathiel  and  the  ^Pirate  Captain 

Spies  BUT  the  delusion  was  short-lived ;  my  voice  broke  the  spell, 

and  perhaps  the  consciousness  of  their  idle  alarm  increased 
their  rage.  "  Spies !  "  was  then  the  outcry,  and  this  dreaded 
sound  brought  from  beds  and  tables  the  whole  band.  It  was 
in  vain  that  I  attempted  to  speak;  the  mob  have  no  ears, 
whether  in  cities  or  caves,  and  we  were  dragged  forward  to 
undergo  our  examination.  Yet  what  was  to  be  done  in  the 
midst  of  a  host  of  tongues,  all  questioning,  accusing,  and 
swearing  together? 

Some  were  ready  to  take  every  star  of  heaven  to  witness 
that  we  were  a  pair  of  Paphlagonian  pilots,  and  the  identical 
ones  hired  to  run  two  of  their  ships  aground,  by  which  the 
best  expedition  of  the  year  was  undone.  Others  knew  us  to 
have  been  in  the  regular  pay  of  the  procurator,  and  the  means 
of  betraying  their  last  captain  to  the  ax.  But  the  majority 
honored  us  with  the  character  of  simple  thieves,  who  had 
taken  advantage  of  their  absence  to  plunder  the  baggage. 

The  question  next  arose,  "  How  we  could  have  got  in? " 
and  for  the  first  time  the  carousers  thought  of  their  sentinel. 
I  told  them  what  I  had  seen.  They  poured  into  his  chamber, 
and  their  suspicions  were  fixed  in  inexorable  reality:  "We 
had  murdered  him."  The  speediest  death  for  us  was  now  the 
only  consideration.  Every  man  had  his  proposal,  and  never 
were  more  curious  varieties  of  escape  from  this  evil  world 
offered  to  two  wretches  already  weary  of  it;  but  the  Arab's 
voice  carried  the  point.  "  He  disliked  seeing  men  tossed  into 
the  fire ;  ropes  were  too  useful,  and.  the  sword  was  too  honor- 
able to  be  employed  on  rogues.  But  as  by  water  we  came,  by 
water  we  should  go."  The  sentence  was  received  with  a 
shout;  and  amid  laughter,  furious  cries,  and  threats  of  ven- 
geance, we  were  dragged  to  the  mouth  of  the  cave. 

300 


Salatblel  anD  tbc  pirate  Captain 


There  was  a  new  scene.  The  tempest  was  appalling.  The  Ube  Brrivai  of 
waves  burst  into  the  anchorage  in  huge  heaps,  clashing  sheets  r  e  ap  ai 
of  foani  up  to  its  roof.  The  wind  volleyed  in  gusts,  that  took 
the  strongest  off  their  feet ;  the  galleys  at  anchor  were  tossed 
as  if  they  were  so  many  weeds  on  the  surface  of  the  water. 
Lamps  and  torches  were  useless,  and  the  only  light  was  from 
the  funereal  gleam  of  the  billows,  and  the  sheets  of  sulfurous 
tire  that  fell  upon  the  turbulence  of  ocean  beyond.  Even  the 
hardy  forms  round  me  were  startled,  and  I  took  advantage  of 
a  furious  gust  that  swung  us  all  aside,  to  struggle  from  their 
grasp,  and  seizing  a  pike,  fight  for  my  life.  Jubal  seconded 
me  with  the  boldness  that  110  decay  could  exhaust,  and  setting 
our  backs  to  the  rocks,  we  for  a  while  baffled  our  executioners. 
But  this  could  not  last  against  such  numbers.  Our  pikes 
were  broken ;  we  were  hemmed  in,  and  finally  dragged  again 
to  the  mouth  of  the  cavern,  that  with  its  foam  and  the  howl 
of  the  tumbling  billows  looked  like  the  jaws  of  some  huge 
monster  ready  for  its  prey. 

Bruised  and  overpowered,  I  was  on  the  point  of  denying  my 
murderers  their  last  indulgence,  and  plunging  headlong,  when 
a  trumpet  sounded.  The  pirates  loosed  their  hold,  and  in  a 
few  minutes  a  large  galley  with  all  her  oars  broken  and  every 
sail  torn  to  fragments  shot  by  the  mouth  of  the  cavern.  A 
joyous  cry  of,  "The  captain!  the  cap  tarn!"  echoed  through 
the  vaults.  The  galley,  disabled  by  the  storm,  tacked  several 
times  before  she  could  make  the  entrance ;  but  at  length,  by 
a  masterly  maneuver,  she  was  brought  round,  and  darted 
right  in  on  the  top  of  a  mountainous  billow.  Before  she 
touched  the  ground,  the  captain  had  leaped  into  the  arms  of 
the  band,  who  received  him  with  shouts.  His  quick  eye  fell 
upon  us  at  once,  and  he  demanded  fiercely  what  we  were. 
"  Spies  and  thieves  "  was  the  general  reply. 

"  Spies ! "  he  repeated,  looking  contemptuously  at  our 
habiliments — "impossible.  Thieves,  very  likely,  and  very 
beggarly  ones." 

I  denied  both  imputations  alike.  He  seemed  struck  by  my 
words,  and  said  to  the  crowd :  "  Folly !  Take  them  away,  if 
it  does  not  require  too  much  courage  to  touch  them ;  and  let 

301 


Gbou  GUI  f  Come 


trbc  Captain's  them  be  washed  and  fed  for  the  honor  of  hospitality  and  their 
own  faces.  Here,  change  niy  clothes  and  order  supper." 

I  attempted  to  explain  how  we  caine. 

"Of  course — of  course,"  said  the  captain,  pulling  off  his 
dripping  garments  and  flinging  his  cloak  to  one,  his  cuirass 
to  another,  and  his  cap  to  a  third.  "Your  rags  would  vouch 
for  you  in  any  port  on  earth.  Or,  if  you  carry  on  the  trade 
of  treachery,  you  are  very  ill  paid.  Why,  Menmon,  look  at 
these  fellows ;  would  you  give  a  shekel  for  their  souls  and 
bodies?  Not  a  mite.  When  I  look  for  spies,  I  expect  to  find 
them  among  the  prosperous.  However,  if  you  turn  out  to  lie 
spies,  eat,  drink,  and  sleep  your  best  to-night,  for  you  shall 
be  hanged  to-morrow." 

He  hurried  onward,  and  we  followed,  still  in  durance. 
The  banquet  was  reinstated,  and  the  principal  personages  of 
the  band  gathered  round  to  hear  the  adventures  of  the  voyage. 

"  All  has  been  ill  luck,"  said  the  captain,  tossing  off  a 
bumper.  "The  old  procurator's  spirit  was,  I  think,  abroad 
either  to  take  care  of  his  plate  or  to  torment  mankind,  accord- 
ing to  his  custom.  We  were  within  a  boat's  length  of  the 
prize  when  the  wind  came  right  in  our  teeth.  Everything 
that  could,  ran  for  the  harbor;  some  went  on  the  rocks;  some 
straight  to  the  bottom ;  and  that  we  might  not  follow  their 
example,  I  put  the  good  ship  before  the  wind,  and  never  was 
better  pleased  than  to  find  myself  at  home.  Thus  you  see, 
comrades,  that  my  history  is  brief;  but  then  it  has  an  advan- 
tage that  history  sometimes  denies  itself — every  syllable  of  it 
is  true." 

As  the  light  of  the  lamps  fell  on  him,  it  struck  me  that  his 
face  was  familiar  to  my  recollection.  He  was  young,  but  the 
habits  of  his  life  had  given  him  a  premature  manhood ;  his 
eye  flashed  and  sparkled  with  Eastern  brilliancy,  but  his 
cheek,  after  the  first  flush  of  the  banquet,  was  pale ;  and  the 
thinness  of  a  physiognomy  naturally  masculine  and  noble, 
showed  that  either  care  or  hardship  had  lain  heavily  upon  his 
days.  He  had  scarcely  sat  down  to  the  table  when,  his 
glance  turning  where  we  stood  guarded,  he  ordered  us  to  be 
brought  before  him. 

303 


Salatbicl  anD  tbe  pirate  Captain 


"I  think,"  said  he,  "you  came  here  but  a  day  or  two  ago.   Saiatbfci  ani> 
Did  you  find  no  difficulty  with  our  sentinels?  " 

"  Ha ! "  'exclaimed  the  Arab,  "  how  could  I  have  forgotten 
that?  I  left  Titus,  or  by  whatever  of  his  hundred  names  he 
chose  to  be  called,  on  guard,  at  his  own  request,  the  day  I 
steered  for  the  Nile.  He  was  sick,  or  pretended  to  be  so ; 
and  as  I  gave  myself  but  a  couple  of  days  for  the  voyage,  I 
expected  to  be  back  in  time  to  save  him  from  the  horrors  of 
his  own  company.  But  the  wind  said  otherwise — the  two 
days  were  ten ;  and  on  my  return  we  found  the  wretched  fel- 
low a  corpse  — whether  from  being  taken  ill  and  unable  to 
help  himself,  or  from  the  assistance  of  those  worthy  persons 
here  whom  we  discovered  in  attendance." 

"On  that  subject  I  have  no  doubt  whatever,"  interposed 
the  Egyptian;  "those  villains  murdered  him." 

"It  is  possible,"  mused  the  captain;  "but  I  can  not  fore- 
see what  they  are  to  get  by  it.  A  question  that  you  at  least 
will  acknowledge  to  be  of  considerable  importance,"  said  he, 
with  a  careless  smile  at  the  Egyptian,  whose  avarice  was 
proverbial. 

The  object  of  satire  was  stung,  and  to  get  rid  of  the  dan- 
gerous topic,  he  affected  wrath  and  said  impetuously : 

"  Let  it  be  so ;  let  our  blood  go  for  nothing ;  let  treachery 
thrive ;  let  our  throats  be  at  the  mercy  of  every  wandering 
ruffian ;  and  let  us  have  the  consolation  that  our  labors  and 
our  sacrifices  will  be  honored  with  a  sneer." 

He  turned  to  the  crowd  waiting  round  us.  "  Brave  com- 
rades," exclaimed  he,  "henceforth  understand  that  you  are  at 
every  dagger's  mercy;  that  if  you  are  left  behind,  you  may 
be  assassinated  with  impunity,  as,  if  you  are  taken  out  upon 
our  foolish  expeditions,  your  lives  may  be  flung  away  upon 
the  whims  and  follies  of  would-be  heroes." 

The  crowd,  fickle  and  inflamed  by  wine,  gave  a  huzza  for 
the  "sailor's  friend."  The  Egyptian  encouraged,  and  having 
a  load  of  gall  upon  his  memory,  made  the  desperate  venture 
of  at  once  disowning  the  authority  of  the  captain,  and  order- 
ing in  his  own  name  that  we  should  be  delivered  over  to  exe- 
cution. 

303 


Gbou  Cill  1  Gome 


Saiatbici  The  captain  listened  without  a  word,  but  his  hand  was  on 
CT  his  simitar,  and  his  cheek  burned,  as  he  fixed  his  eyes  on  the 
livid  accuser. 

The  crowd  pressed  closer  upon  us,  and  I  saw  the  dagger 
pointed  at  my  breast,  when  I  recollected  the  letter.  I  gave 
it  to  the  captain,  who  read  it  in  silence,  and  then,  with  the 
utmost  composure,  desired  it  to  be  handed  over  to  the  Egyp- 
tian. 

"Comrades,"  said  he,  "I  have  to  apologize  for  a  breach  of 
the  confidence  that  should  always  subsist  between  men  of 
honor.  I  have  here  accidentally  read  a  letter  which  the 
cipher  shows  to  have  been  intended  for  our  trusty  friend 
Mernnon;  but  since  the  subject  is  no  longer  confined  to  him- 
"  self,  he  will  doubtless  feel  no  objection  to  indulging  us  all 
with  the  correspondence." 

The  band  thronged  round  the  table;  expectation  sat  on 
every  face,  and  its  various  expression  in  the  crowded  circle  of 
those  strong  physiognomies — the  keen,  the  wondering,  the 
angry,  the  contemptuous,  the  convinced,  the  triumphant  — 
would  have  made  an  incomparable  study  for  a  painter.  The 
Egyptian  took  the  letter  with  a  trembling  hand  and  read  the 
fatal  words. 

"The  fleet  will  be  off  the  northern  promontory  by  mid- 
night. You  will  light  a  signal,  and  be  ready  to  conduct  the 
troops  into  the  cavern." 

The  reader  let  the  fatal  despatch  fall  from  his  hands. 

An  outcry  of  wrath  rose  on  all  sides,  and  the  traitor  was  on 
the  point  of  being  sacrificed  when  the  young  Idumean  gener- 
ously started  forward. 

"  It  is  known,  I  believe,  to  every  man  here,"  said  he,  "  that  I 
dislike  and  distrust  Memnon  as  much  as  any  being  on  earth. 
I  know  him  to  be  base  and  cruel,  and  therefore  hate  him.  I 
have  long  suspected  him  of  being  connected  with  transactions 
that  nothing  but  the  madness  of  avarice  could  venture  upon, 
and  nothing  but  death  atone.  But  he  must  not  perish  with- 
out a  trial.  Till  inquiry  is  made,  the  man  who-  strikes  him 
must  strike  through  me." 

He  placed  himself  before  the  culprit,  who  now  taking  cour- 


Salatbiel  anD  tbc  pirate  Captain 


age,  long  and'  dexterously  insisted  that  the  letter  was  a  for-  Ube  Egyptian 
gery,  invented  by  "assassins  and   those   who  employed   as- 
sassins." 

The  tide  of  popular  wisdom  is  easily  turned ;  opinion  was 
now  raging  against  me,  and  the  Egyptian  stood  a  fair  chance 
of  seeing  his  reputation  cleared  in  my  blood. 

"Come,"  said  the  captain,  rising,  "as  we  are  not  likely  to 
gain  much  information  from  the  living,  let  us  see  whether  the 
dead  can  give  us  any:  lead  on,  prisoners." 

I  led  the  way  to  the  recess.  The  dead  man  lay  untouched; 
but  in  the  interval  the  features  had  returned,  as  is  often  the 
case  in  death,  to  the  expression  of  former  years.  I  uttered 
an  exclamation ;  he  was  the  domestic  who  had  betrayed  me  to 
the  procurator. 

"Conscience!  "  cried  the  Egyptian. 

"  Conscience !  "  echoed  the  crowd. 

The  captain  turned  to  me.  "  Did  either  you  or  your  com- 
panion commit  this  murder?  I  will  have  no  long  stories.  I 
know  that  this  fellow  was  a  villain,  and  if  he  had  lived  until 
my  return,  he  should  have  fed  the  crows  within  the  next 
twelve  hours.  One  word — yes  or  no?  " 

I  answered  firmly. 

"I  believe  you,"  said  the  captain.  He  took  the  hand  of 
the  corpse,  and  called  to  the  Egyptian.  "Take  this  hand, 
and  swear  that  you  know  nothing  of  the  treason.  But,  ha! 
what  have  we  here?  " 

As  he  lifted  the  arm,  the  sleeve  of  the  tunic  gave  way, 
and  a  slip  of  papyrus  fell  on  the  bed.  He  caught  it  up,  and 
exclaiming,  "  What !  to-night?  pernicious  villain ! "  turned  to 
the  astonished  band. 

"  Comrades,  there  is  treachery  among  us.  We  are  sold — 
sold  by  that  accursed  Egyptian.  Strip  the  slave,  and  fling 
him  into  the  dungeon  until  I  return ;  no,  he  shall  come  with 
us  in  chains.  Call  up  the  men.  Every  galley  must  put  to 
sea  instantly,  if  we  would  not  be  burned  in  our  beds." 

The  trumpets  sounded  through  the  cavern,  and  rapid  prep- 
arations were  made  for  obeying  this  unexpected  command. 
The  fires  blazed  again ;  arms  and  armor  rang ;  men  were  mus- 

20  305 


Cbou  tttll  f  Come 


preparing  for  tered,  and  the  galleys  swung  out  from  their  moorings,  in  the 
midst  of  tumult  and  volleys  of  execrations  against  the  treach- 
ery that  "could  not  wait,  at  least,  for  daylight  and  fair 
weather. " 

"  And  now,"  said  the  captain,  "  I  think  that  it  is  time  for  me 
to  sup.  Sit  down,  and  let  us  hear  over  our  wine  what  story 
the  prisoners  have  to  tell." 

I  briefly  stated  our  escape  from  the  dungeon. 

"  It  may  be  a  lie ;  yet  the  thing  hangs  not  badly  together. 
Your  wardrobe  speaks  prodigiously  in  favor  of  your  veracity. 
Ho,  Ben  Ali!  see  that  the  avenue  into  the  warehouse  is 
stopped  up.  We  must  have  no  visits  from  the  garrison  of  the 
tower. " 

He  had  soon  a  group  of  listeners  round  the  table. 

"  As  I  was  lying  off  and  on,  waiting  to  catch  that  galley, 
a  correspondent  on  shore  let  me  partly  into  the  secret  of  that 
Egyptian  dog's  dealings.  Rich  as  the  knave  was — and  how 
he  came  by  his  money,  Tartarus  only  knows — Roman  gold 
had  charms  for  him  still.  In  fact,  he  had  been  carrying  on 
a  very  handsome  trade  in  information  during  the  last  six 
months,  which  may  best  account  for  the  escape  of  two  fleets 
from  Byzantium,  and  not  less  for  the  present  safety  of  the 
procurator's  plate,  which,  however,  I  hope,  by  the  blessing  of 
Neptune,  to  see  before  another  week  shining  upon  this  table.'' 

Then,  turning  to  me,  he  laughingly  said :  "  Tho  I  should 
not  trust  you  for  pilotage,  your  discovery  was  of  use.  That 
an  attack  upon  us  was  intended  I  was  aware ;  but  the  how 
and  the  when  were  the  difficulty.  The  time  of  the  attack  was 
announced  in  the  papyrus,  and  but  for  the  storm  we  should 
probably  be  now  doing  other  things  than  supping. " 

"The  sea  is  going  down  already,  and  the  wind  has 
changed,"  said  the  Arab.  "We  can 'haul  off  the  shore  with- 
out loss  of  time." 

"  Then  the  sooner  the  better.  We  must  seal  up  the  Ro- 
mans in  their  port,  or  if  they  venture  out  on  such  a  night, 
give  them  sound  reason  for  wishing  that  they  had  stayed  at 
home.  Their  galleys,  if  good  for  nothing  else,  will  do  to 
burn." 

306 


Salatbiel  an£>  tbe  pirate  Captain 


This  bold  determination  was  received  with  a  general  cheer ;  tEbe  Company 
the  crews  drank  to  the  glory  of  their  expedition,  and  all  rushed 
toward  the  galleys,  which,  crowded  with  men,  lay  tossing  at 
the  edge  of  the  arch. 

I  followed,  and  demanded  what  was  to  be  our  fate. 

"  What  will  .you  have?  " 

"  Anything  but  abandonment  here.  Let  us  take  the  chances 
of  your  voyage,  and  be  set  on  shore  at  the  first  place  you 
touch." 

"  And  sell  our  secret  to  the  best  bidder?  No.  But  I  have 
no  time  to  make  terms  with  you  now.  One  word  for  all; 
ragged  as  you  both  are,  you  are  strong,  and  your  faces  would 
do  no  great  discredit  to  our  profession.  You  probably  think 
this  no  very  striking  compliment,"  said  he,  laughing.  "  How- 
ever, I  have  taken  a  whim  to  have  you  with  us  and  offer  you 
promotion.  Will  you  take  service  with  the  noble  company  of 
the  Free-trade?  " 

Jubal  was  rashly  indignant;  I  checked  him,  and  merely 
answered  that  I  had  purposes  of  extreme  exigency  which  pre- 
vented my  accepting  his  offer. 

"Ha,  morality!  "  exclaimed  he,  "you  will  not  be  seen  with 
rogues  like  us?  "  He  laughed  aloud.  "  Why,  man,  if  you 
will  not  live,  eat,  drink,  travel,  and  die  with  rogues,  where 
upon  earth  can  you  expect  to  live  or  die?  The  difference  be- 
tween us  and  the  world  is  that  we  do  the  thing  without  the 
additional  vice  of  hypocrisy." 

The  bold  fellows  who  waited  round  us  felt  for  the  honor  of 
their  calling,  and  but  for  their  awe  of  the  captain  we  had  stood 
slight  chance  of  escape. 

"  A  pike  might  let  a  little  light  into  their  understandings," 
said  one. 

"  If  they  will  not  follow  on  the  deck,  they  should  swim  at 
the  stern,"  said  another. 

"The  hermits  should  be  sent  back  to  their  dungeon,"  said 
a  third. 

The  boat  was  now  run  up  on  the  sand. 

"Get  in,"  said  the  captain.  "I  have  taken  it  into  my 
head  to  convince  you  by  fact  of  the  honor,  dignity,  and 

307 


Cbou  GUI  H  Come 


ttbe  Oaptatn'9  priniitiveness  of  our  profession,  which  is,  in  the  first  place, 
the  oldest,  for  it  was  the  original  employment  of  all  human 
hands;  in  the  next  place,  the  most  universal,  for  it  is  the 
principle  of  all  trades,  pursuits,  and  professions,  from  the 
Emperor  on  his  throne  down  through  the  doctor,  the  lawyer, 
and  the  merchant,  to  the  very  sediment  of  society." 

A  loud  laugh  echoed  through  the  cavern. 

While  he  was  arranging  his  corselet  and  weapons  round  him, 
the  captain  proceeded :  "  The  Free-trade  is  the  essence  of  the 
virtues.  For  example,  I  meet  a  merchantman  loaded  with 
goods  —for  what  is  the  cargo  meant?  To  purchase  slaves ;  to 
tear  fathers  from  their  families — husbands  from  their  wives; 
to  burn  villages,  and  bribe  savages  to  murder  each  other.  I 
strip  the  hold ;  the  slave-market  is  at  an  end,  and  none  suf- 
fer but  fellows  who  ought  to  have  been  hanged  long  ago. " 

The  captain's  doctrine  was  more  popular  than  ever. 

"  I  see,  comrades,"  said  the  captain,  "that  tho  truth  is  per- 
suasive, your  huzza  is  not  for  me,  but  for  fact.  We  find  a 
young  rake  ranging  the  world  with  more  money  than  brains, 
sowing  sedition  among  the  fair  rivals  for  the  honor  of  sharing 
his  purse;  running  away  with  daughters;  gambling  greater 
fools  than  himself  out  of  their  fortunes ;  in  short,  playing  the 
profligate  in  all  shapes.  He  drops  into  our  hands,  and  we 
strip  him  to  the  last  penny.  What  is  the  consequence?  We 
make  him  virtuous  on  the  spot.  The  profligate  becomes  a 
model  of  penitence ;  the  root  of  all  his  ills  has  been  unearthed ; 
the  prodigal  is  saving;  the  bacchanal  temperate;  the  seducer 
lives  in  the  innocence  of  a  babe ;  the  gambler  never  touches  a 
die.  We  have  broken  the  mainspring  of  his  vices — money ; 
disarmed  the  soft  deceiver  of  his  spell — money ;  checked  the 
infection  of  the  gambler's  example  by  cutting  off  the  source 
of  the  disease — money ;  or  if  nothing  can  teach  him  common 
sense,  our  dungeon  will  at  least  keep  him  out  of  harm's  way. 
We  meet  a  rich  old  rogue,"  continued  he,  "on  his  voyage  be- 
tween the  islands.  What  is  he  going  to  do?  To  marry  some 
young  creature  who  has  a  young  lover,  perhaps  a  dozen. 
The  marriage  would  break  her  heart  and  raise  a  little  rebel- 
lion in  the  island.  We  capture  the  old  Cupid,  strip  him  of 

308 


Salatbfet  anD  tbe  pirate  Captain 


his  coin,  and  he  is  a  Cupid  no  more;  fathers  and  mothers 
abhor  him  at  once ;  the  young  lover  has  his  bride  and  the 
old  one  his  lesson ;  the  one  gets  his  love  and  the  other  his 
experience ;  and  both  have  to  thank  the  gallant  crew  of  the 
Scorpion,  which  may  Neptune  long  keep  above  water." 

A  joyous  shout  and  the  waving  of  caps  and  swords  hailed 
the  captain's  display.  "The  Free-trade  forever!"  was 
cheered  in  all  directions. 

"And  now,  my  heroes  of  salt  water,  noble  brothers  of  the 
Nereids,  sons  of  the  starlight,  here  I  make  libation  to  for- 
tune." 

He  poured  a  part  of  his  cup  into  the  wave,  and  drank  to 
the  general  health  with  the  remainder. 

"  Happiness  to  all !  Let  our  work  to-night  be  what  it  will, 
I  know,  my  heroes,  that  it  will  be  handsomely  done.  The 
enemy  may  call  us  names,  but  you  will  answer  them  by 
proofs  that,  whatever  we  may  be,  we  are  neither  slaves  nor 
dastards.  If  I  catch  the  insolent  commander  of  the  Roman 
fleet,  I  will  teach  him  a  lesson  in  morals  that  he  never  knew 
before.  He  shall  flog,  fleece,  and  torture  no  more.  I  will 
turn  the  hard-hearted  tyrant  into  tenderness  from  top  to  toe. 
His  treatment  of  the  crew  of  the  Hycena  was  infamous ;  and, 
by  Jupiter!  what  I  owe  him  shall  be  discharged  in  full. 
Now  on  board,  and  may  Neptune  take  care  of  you!  " 

The  trumpets  flourished,  the  people  cheered,  the  boats 
pushed  off,  the  galleys  hoisted  every  sail,  and  in  a  moment  we 
found  ourselves  rushing  through  the  water  under  the  wildest 
canopy  of  heaven. 


309 


CHAPTER  XXXIX 
A  Sea  Fight 

•Che  Captain  ae      "\YE  stretched  out  far  to  sea.  for  the  double  purpose  of  fall- 
Sea  ntan 

ing  by  surprise  upon  the  Roman  squadron  and  of  avoiding  the 

shoals.  The  wind  lulled  at  intervals  so  much  that  we  had 
recourse  to  our  oars;  it  would  then  burst  down  with  a  vio- 
lence that  all  but  hurled  us  out  of  the  water.  I  now  saw 
more  of  the  captain,  and  was  witness  to  the  extraordinary 
activity  and  skill  of  this  singular  young  man.  Never  was 
there  a  more  expert  seaman.  For  every  change  of  sea  or 
wind  he  had  a  new  expedient;  and  when  the  hearts  of  the 
stoutest  sank,  he  took  the  hebn  into  his  hands  and  carried  us 
through  the  chaos  of  foam,  whirlwind,  and  lightning  with 
the  vigor  of  one  born  to  sport  with  the  storm. 

As  I  was  gazing  over  the  vessel's  side  at  the  phosphoric 
gleams  that  danced  along  the  billows,  he  came  up  to  me. 

"I  am  sorry,"  said  he,  "that  we  have  been  compelled  to 
give  you  so  rough  a  specimen  of  our  hospitality,  and  this  is 
not  altogether  a  summer  sea,  but  you  saw  how  the  matter 
stood.  The  enemy  would  have  been  upon  us,  and  the  whole 
advantage  of  our  staying  at  home  would  be  to  have  our  throats 
cut  in  company." 

Odd  and  rambling  as  his  style  was,  there  was  something  in 
•  his  manner  and  voice  that  had  struck  me  before,  even  in  the 
boisterousness  of  the  convivial  crowd.  But  now,  in  the  soli- 
tary sea,  there  was  a  melancholy  sweetness  in  his  tones  that 
made  me  start  with  sad  recollection.  Yet,  when  by  the  light- 
ning I  attempted  to  discover  in  his  features  any  clue  to  mem- 
ory, and  saw  but  the  tall  figure  wrapped  in  the  sailor's  cloak, 
the  hair  streaming  over  hif?  face  in  the  spray,  and  every  line 
of  his  powerful  physiognomy  at  its  full  stretch  in  the  agita- 
tion of  the  time,  the  thought  vanished  again. 

310 


a  Sea  fffgbt 

"I  hinted,"  said  he,  after  an  interval  of  silence,  "at  your  tfs  -Request 
taking  chance  with  us.     If  you  will,  you  may.     But  the  hint 
was  thrown  out  merely  to  draw  off  the  fellows  about  me,  and 
you  are  at  full  liberty  to  forget  it." 

"It  is  impossible  to  join  you,"  was  my  answer;  "my  life  is 
due  to  my  country." 

"Oh,  for  that  matter,  so  is  mine,  and  due  a  long  time  ago; 
my  only  wonder  is,  how  I  have  evaded  payment  till  now. 
Bur  I  am  a  man  of  few  words.  I  have  taken  a  sort  of  liking 
to  you,  and  would  wish  to  have  a  few  such  at  hand.  The 
world  calls  me  pirate,  and  the  majority,  of  course,  carries  the 
question.  For  its  opinion  I  do  not  care  a  cup  of  water;  a 
bubble  would  weigh  as  heavily  with  me  as  the  rambling,  giddy, 
vulgar  judgment  of  a  world  in  which  the  first  of  talents  is 
knavery./  I  never  knew  a  man  fail  who  brought  to  market 
prostitution  of  mind  enough  to  make  him  a  tool,  vice  enough 
to  despise  everything  but  gain,  and  cunning  enough  to  keep 
himself  out  of  the  hands  of  the  magistrate  till  opulence  en- 
abled him  to  corrupt  the  law  or  authority  to  defy  it./  But  let 
that  pass.  The  point  between  us  is,  will  you  take  service 
with  us?  " 

"  No !  I  feel  the  strongest  gratitude  for  the  manliness  and 
the  generosity  of  your  protection.  You  saved  our  lives,  and 
our  only  hope  of  revisiting  Judea  in  freedom  is  through  you. 
But,  young  man,  I  have  a  great  cause  in  hand.  I  have  risked 
everything  for  it.  Family,  wealth,  rank,  life,  are  my  stake ; 
and  I  look  upon  every  hour  given  to  other  things  as  so  far  a 
fraud  upon  my  country." 

I  heard  him  sigh.  There  was  silence  on  both  sides  for  a 
while,  and  he  paced  the  deck ;  then  suddenly  returning,  laid 
his  hand  on  my  shoulder. 

"I  am  convinced  of  your  honor,"  said  he,  "and  far  be  it 
from  me  to  betray  a  man  who  has  indeed  a  purpose  worthy 
of  manhood  into  our  broken  and  unhappy  —aye,  let  the  word 
come  out,  infamous  career.  But  you  tell  me  that  I  have  been 
of  some  use  to  you ;  I  now  demand  the  return.  You  have  re- 
fused to  take  service  with  me.  Let  me  take  service  with 
you ! " 

311 


£bou  GUI  11  Come 


-Cbe  presence  I  stared  at  him.  He  smiled  sadly,  and  said :  "  You  will 
•Roman  fleet  not  associate  with  one  stained  like  me.  Aye,  for  me  there  is 
no  repentance!  Yet,  why  shall  the  world" — and  his  voice 
was  full  of  anguish — "why  shall  an  ungenerous  and  misjudg- 
ing world  be  suffered  to  keep  forever  at  a  distance  those 
whom  it  has  first  betrayed?  "  His  emotion  got  the  better  of 
him,  and  his  voice  sank.  He  again  approached  me.  "I  am 
weary  of  this  kind  of  life.  Not  that  I  have  reason  to  com- 
plain of  the  men  about  me,  nor  that  I  dislike  the  chances  of 
the  sea;  but  that  I  feel  the  desire  to  be  something  better — to 
redeem  myself  out  of  the  number  of  the  dishonored ;  to  do 
something  which,  whether  I  live  or  die,  will  satisfy  me  that 
I  was  not  meant  to  be — the  outcast  that  I  am." 

"  Then  join  us,  if  you  will,"  said  I.  "  Our  cause  demands 
the  bold ;  and  the  noblest  spirit  that  ever  dwelt  in  man  would 
find  its  finest  field  in  the  deliverance  of  our  land,  the  land  of 
holiness  and  glory.  But  can  you  leave  all  that  you  have 
round  you  here?  " 

"  Not  without  a  struggle.  I  have  an  infinite  delight  in  this 
wild  kind  of  existence.  I  love  the  strong  excitement  of  haz- 
ard ;  I  love  the  perpetual  bustle  of  our  career ;  I  love  even 
the  capriciousness  of  wind  and  wave.  I  have  wealth  in  re- 
turn for  its  perils ;  and  no  man  knows  what  enjoyment  is  but 
he  who  knows  it  through  the  fatigue  of  a  sailor's  life.  All 
the  banquets  of  Epicureanism  are  not  half  so  delicious  as  even 
the  simplest  meal  to  his  hunger,  nor  the  softest  bed  of  lux- 
ury half  so  refreshing  as  the  bare  deck  to  his  weariness.  But 
I  must  break  up  those  habits ;  and  whether  beggar,  slave,  or 
soldier  obtaining  the  distinction  of  a  soldier's  success,  I  am 
determined  on  trying  my  chance  among  mankind." 

A  sheet  of  lightning  at  this  instant  covered  the  whole  hori- 
zon with  blue  flame,  and  a  huge  ball  of  fire  springing  from  the 
cloud,  after  a  long  flight  over  the  waters  split  upon  the  shore. 
The  keenness  of  the  seaman's  eye  saw  what  had  escaped  mine. 

"That  was  a  lucky  sea-light  for  us,"  said  he.  "The  Ro- 
mans are  lying  under  yonder  promontory,  driven  to  take 
shelter  by  the  gale,  of  course;  but  for  that  fire-ball  they 
would  have  escaped  me." 

312 


a  Sea  jffgbt 

All  the  crew  were  now  summoned  on  deck ;  signals  were  Saiatbfel 
made  to  the  other  galleys ;  the  little  fleet  brought  into  close 
order;  pikes,  torches,  and  combustibles  of  all  kinds  gathered 
upon  the  poop ;  the  sails  furled,  and  with  muffled  oars  we  glided 
down  upon  the  enemy.  The  Roman  squadron,  with  that 
precaution  which  was  the  essential  of  its  matchless  discipline, 
was  drawn  up  in  order  of  battle,  tho  it  could  have  had  no 
expectation  of  being  attacked  on  such  a  night.  But  the  roar 
of  the  gale  buried  every  other  sound,  and  we  stole  round  the 
promontory  unheard. 

The  short  period  of  this  silent  navigation  was  one  of  the 
keenest  anxiety.  All  but  those  necessary  for  the  working  of 
the  vessel  were  lying  on  their  faces ;  not  a  limb  was  moved, 
and  like  a  galley  of  the  dead  we  floated  on,  filled  with  de- 
struction. We  were  yet  at  some  distance  from  the  twinkling 
lights  that  showed  the  prefect's  trireme  when,  on  glancing 
round,  I  perceived  a  dark  object  on  the  water,  and  pointed  it 
out  to  the  captain. 

"Some  lurking  spy,"  said  he,  "who  was  born  to  pay  for  his 
knowledge." 

With  a  sailor's  promptitude  he  caught  up  a  lamp  and 
swung  it  overboard.  It  fell  beside  the  object,  a  small  boat, 
as  black  as  the  waves  themselves. 

"Now  for  the  sentinel,"  were  his  words,  as  he  plunged  into 
the  sea.     The  act  was  as  rapid  as  the  words.     I  heard   a     i 
struggle,  a  groan,  and  the  boat  floated  empty  beside  me  on 
the  next  billow. 

But  there  was  no  time  to  wait  for  his  return.  We  were 
within  an  oar's  length  of  the  anchorage.  To  communicate 
the  probable  loss  of  their  captain  (and  what  could  human 
struggle  do  among  the  mountainous  waves  of  that  sea?) 
might  be  to  dispirit  the  crew  and  ruin  the  enterprise.  I  took 
the  command  upon  myself,  and  gave  the  word  to  fall  on. 

A  storm  of  fire,  as  strange  to  the  enemy  as  if  it  had  risen 
from  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  was  instantly  poured  on  the  ad- 
vanced ships.  The  surprise  was  complete.  The  crews,  ex- 
hausted by  the  night,  were  chiefly  asleep.  The  troops  on 
board  were  helpless,  on  decks  covered  with  spray,  and  among 

313 


Ebon  GUI  1  Come 


•Cbe  shrouds  and  sails  falling  down  in  burning  fragments  on  their 
of  routing8  heads.  Our  shouts  gave  them  the  idea  of  being  attacked  by 
overwhelming  numbers,  and  after  a  short  dispute  we  cleared 
the  whole  outer  line  of  every  sailor  and  soldier.  The  whole 
was  soon  a  pile  of  flame,  a  sea  volcano  that  lighted  sky, 
sea,  and  shore. 

Yet  only  half  our  work  was  done.  The  enemy  were  now 
fully  awake,  and  no  man  could  despise  Roman  preparation. 
I  ordered  a  fire  gallery  to  run  in  between  the  leading  ships; 
but  she  was  caught  half-way  by  a  chain,  and  turned  round, 
scattering  flame  among  ourselves.  The  boats  were  then 
lowered,  and  our  most  desperate  fellows  sent  to  cut  out  or 
board.  But  the  crowded  decks  drove  them  back,  and  the 
Roman  pike  was  an  over-match  for  our  short  falchions.  For 
a  while  we  were  forced  to  content  ourselves  with  the  distant 
exchange  of  lances  and  arrows.  The  affair  now  became  criti- 
cal. The  enemy  were  still  three  times  our  force;  they  were 
unmooring,  and  our  only  chance  of  destroying  them  was  at 
anchor.  I  called  the  crew  forward  and  proposed  that  we 
should  run  the  galley  close  on  the  prefect's  ship,  set  them 
both  on  fire,  and  in  the  confusion  carry  the  remaining  ves- 
sels. But  sailors,  if  as  bold,  are  as  capricious  as  their  ele- 
ment. Our  partial  repulse  had  already  disheartened  them. 
I  was  met  by  clamors  for  the  captain.  The  clamors  rose  into 
open  charges  that  I  had,  to  get  the  command,  thrown  him 
overboard. 

I  was  alone.  Jubal,  worn  out  with  fatigue  and  illness, 
was  lying  at  my  feet,  more  requiring  defense  than  able  to 
afford  it.  The  crowd  was  growing  furious  against  the 
stranger.  I  felt  that  all  depended  on  the  moment,  and 
leaped  from  the  poop  into  the  midst  of  the  mutineers. 

"Fools,"  I  exclaimed,  "what  could  I  get  by  making  away 
with  your  captain?  I  have  no  wish  for  your  command.  1 
have  no  want  of  your  help.  I  disdain  you:  bold  as  lions 
over  the  table ;  tame  as  sheep  on  the  deck ;  I  leave  you  to  be 
butchered  by  the  Romans.  Let  the  brave  follow  me,  if  such 
there  be  among  you." 

A  shallop  that  had  just  returned  with  the  defeated  boarders, 

314 


a  Sea  ffigbt 

lay  by  the  galley's  side.  I  seized  a  torch.  Eight  or  ten,  -Cbe/Bonarcb 
roused  by  my  taunts,  followed  me  into  the  boat.  We  pulled 
right  for  the  Roman  center.  Every  man  had  a  torch  in  one 
hand  and  an  oar  in  the  other.  We  shot  along  the  waters,  a 
flying  mass  of  flame ;  and  while  both  fleets  were  gazing  on  us 
in  astonishment,  rushed  under  the  stern  of  the  commander's 
trireme.  The  fire  soon  rolled  up  her  tarry  sides  and  ran 
along  the  cordage.  But  the  defense  was  desperate,  and  lances 
rained  upon  us.  Half  of  us  were  disabled  in  the  first  dis- 
charge ;  the  shallop  was  battered  with  huge  stones,  and  I  felt 
that  she  was  sinking. 

"  One  trial  more,  brave  comrades,  one  glorious  trial  more ! 
The  boat  must  go  down,  and  unless  we  would  go  along  with  it, 
we  must  board." 

I  leaped  forward  and  clung  to  the  chains.  My  example 
was  followed.  The  boat  went  down ;  and  this  sight,  which 
was  just  discovered  by  the  livid  flame  of  the  vessel,  raised  a 
roar  of  triumph  among  the  enemy.  But  to  climb  up  the  tall 
sides  of  the  trireme  was  beyond  our  skill,  and  we  remained, 
dashed  by  the  heavy  waves  as  she  rose  and  fell.  Our  only 
alternatives  now  were  to  be  piked,  drowned,  or  burned.  The 
flames  were  already  rapidly  advancing ;  showers  of  sparkles 
fell  upon  our  heads ;  the  clamps  and  ironwork  were  growing 
hot  to  the  touch ;  the  smoke  was  rolling  over  us  in  suffocating 
volumes.  I  was  giving  up  all  for  lost  when  a  mountainous 
billow  swept  the  vessel's  head  round,  and  I  saw  a  blaze  burst 
out  from  the  shore, — the  Roman  tents  were  on  fire ! 

Consternation  seized  the  crews,  thus  attacked  on  all  sides ; 
and  uncertain  of  the  number  of  the  assailants,  they  began  to 
desert  the  ships  and  by  boats  or  swimming  make  for  the 
various  points  of  the  land.  The  sight  reanimated  me.  I 
climbed  up  the  side  of  the  trireme,  torch  in  hand,  and  with 
my  haggard  countenance,  made  still  wilder  by  the  wild  work 
of  the  night,  looked  a  formidable  apparition  to  men  already 
harassed  out  of  all  courage.  They  plunged  overboard — and 
I  was  monarch  of  the  finest  war-galley  on  the  coast  of  Syria. 

But  my  kingdom  was  without  subjects.  None  of  my  own 
crew  had  followed  me.  I  saw  the  pirate  vessels  bearing  down 

315 


£bou  GUI  fl  Come 


Ubc         to  complete  tlie  destruction  of  the  fleet,  and  hailed  them,  but 
Conflagration   the     ^   gwet  fap  wide   Qf  the  trireme       The  fire 


too  fast  hold  of  her  to  make  approach  safe.  I  now  began  to 
feel  my  situation.  The  first  sense  of  triumph  was  past,  and 
I  found  myself  deserted.  The  deed  of  devastation,  mean- 
while, was  rapidly  going  on.  I  saw  the  Roman  ships  suc- 
cessively boarded,  almost  without  resistance,  and  in  a  blaze. 
The  conflagration  rose  in  sheets  and  spires  to  the  heavens,  and 
colored  the.  waters  to  an  immeasurable  extent  with  the  deepest 
dye  of  gore.  I  heard  the  victorious  shouts,  and  mine  rose 
spontaneously  along  with  them.  In  every  vessel  burned,  in 
every  torch  flung,  I  rejoiced  in  a  new  blow  to  the  tyrants  of 
Judea.  But  my  thoughts  were  soon  fearfully  brought  home. 
The  tire  reached  the  cables  ;  the  trireme,  plunging  and  tossing 
like  a  living  creature  in  its  last  agony,  burst  away  from  her 
anchors  ;  the  wind  was  off  the  shore  ;  a  gust,  strong  as  the 
blow  of  a  battering-ram,  struck  her;  and  on  the  back  of  a 
huge  wave  she  shot  out  to  sea,  a  flying  pyramid  of  fire. 


316 


CHAPTER  XL 
A  'Burning  Trireme 

NEVER  was  man  more  indifferent  to  the  result  than  the  Hbe  Solitary 
solitary  voyager  of  the  burning  trireme.  What  had  life  for 
me?  I  gazed  round  me.  The  element  of  fire  reigned  su- 
preme. The  shore — mountain,  vale,  and  sand — was  bright 
as  day  from  the  blaze  of  the  tents  and  the  floating  fragments 
of  the  galleys.  The  heavens  were  an  arch  of  angry  splendor 
— eveiy  stooping  cloud  swept  along  reddened  with  the  vari- 
ous dyes  of  the  conflagration  below.  The  sea  was  a  rolling 
abyss  of  the  fiercest  color  of  slaughter.  The  blazing  vessels, 
loosened  from  the  shore,  rushed  madly  before  the  storm,  sheet 
and  shroud  shaking  loose  abroad  like  vast  wings  of  flame. 

At  length  all  disappeared.  The  shore  faded  far  into  a  dim 
line  of  light;  the  galleys  sank  or  were  consumed;  the  sea 
grew  dark  again.  But  the  trireme,  strongly  built  and  of 
immense  size,  still  fed  the  flame,  and  still  shot  on  through 
the  tempest,  that  fell  on  her  the  more  furiously  as  she  lost 
the  cover  of  the  land.  The  waves  rose  to  a  height  that  often 
baffled  the  wind,  and  left  me  floating  in  a  strange  calm  be- 
tween two  black  walls  of  water  reaching  to  the  clouds,  and 
on  whose  smooth  sides  the  image  of  the  burning  vessel  was 
reflected  as  strongly  as  in  a  mirror.  But  the  ascent  to  the 
summit  of  those  fearful  barriers  again  let  in  the  storm  in  its 
rage.  The  tops  of  the  billows  were  whirled  off  in  sheets  of 
foam ;  the  wind  tore  mast  and  sail  away,  and  the  vessel  was 
dashed  forward  like  a  stone  discharged  from  an  engine.  I 
stood  on  the  poop,  which  the  spray  and  the  wind  kept  clear 
of  flame,  and  contemplated,  with  some  feeling  of  the  fierce 
grandeur  of  the  spectacle,  the  fire  rolling  over  the  forward 
part  of  the  vessel  in  a  thousand  shapes  and  folds. 

While  I  was  thus  careering  along,  like  the  genius  of  fire 

317 


Gbou  CUl  fl  Come 


•Cbc  Souni*  of  upon  his  throne,  I  caught  a  glimpse  of  sails  scattering  in 
every  direction  before  me — I  had  rushed  into  the  middle  of 
one  of  those  small  trading-fleets  that  coasted  annually  be- 
tween the  Euxiiie  and  the  Nile.  They  flew,  as  if  pursued  \>\ 
a  fiend.  But  the  same  wind  that  bore  them,  bore  me ;  and 
their  screams,  as  the  trireme  bounded  from  billow  to  billow 
on  their  track,  were  audible  even  through  the  roarings  of  the 
storm.  They  gradually  succeeded  in  spreading  themselves  so 
far  that  the  contact  with  the  flame  must  be  partial.  But  on 
one,  the  largest  and  most  crowded,  the  trireme  bore  inevi- 
tably down.  The  hunted  ship  tried  every  mode  of  escape  in 
vain ;  it  maneuvered  with  extraordinary  skill ;  but  the  pur- 
suer, lightened  of  every  burden,  rushed  on  like  a  messenger 
of  vengeance. 

I  could  distinctly  see  the  confusion  and  misery  of  the  crowd 
that  covered  the  deck;  men  and  women  kneeling,  weeping, 
fainting,  or,  in  the  fierce  riot  of  despair,  struggling  for  some 
wretched  spoil  that  a  few  moments  more  must  tear  from  all 
alike.  But  among  the  fearful  mingling  of  sounds,  one  voice 
I  suddenly  heard  that  struck  to  my  soul.  It  alone  roused  me 
from  my  stern  scorn  of  human  suffering.  I  no  longer  looked 
upon  those  beings  as  upon  insects,  that  must  be  crushed  in  the 
revolution  of  the  great  wheel  of  fate.  The  heart,  the  living 
human  heart,  palpitated  within  me.  I  rushed  to  the  side  of 
the  trireme,  and  with  voice  and  hand  made  signals  to  the 
crew  to  take  me  on  board.  But  at  uiy  call  a  cry  of  agony 
rang  through  the  vessel.  All  fled  to  its  farther  part,  but  a 
few,  who,  unable  to  move,  were  seen  on  their  knees,  and  in 
the  attitudes  of  preternatural  fear,  imploring  every  power  of 
heaven.  Shocked  by  the  consciousness  that,  even  in  the  hour 
when  mutual  hazard  softens  the  heart  of  man,  I  was  an  object 
of  horror,  I  shrank  back.  I  heard  the  voice  once  more,  and 
once  more  resolving  to  get  on  board,  flung  a  burning  fragment 
over  the  side  to  help  me  through  the  waves. 

But  the  time  was  past.  The  fragment  had  scarcely  touched 
the  foam  when  a  sheet  of  lightning  wrapped  sea  and  sky ;  the 
flying  vessel  was  gone.  My  eye  looked  but  upon  the  wilder- 
ness of  waters.  The  flash  was  fatal.  It  had  struck  the  hold 

318 


-**%  * 


The  solitary  voyager  of  the  burning  trireme. 


[see  page  JTJ. 


Copyright,  1901,  I  -, .  y.  „„,  L<,od,.D. 


•  -  I  h.: 


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t;tf-,l    .-. 

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. 

.  .•:-.  !h»- 
l\  ti<; 

•  •  .'  •  it  niaii 

:«-r,  lightened  of  every  burden,  rushed  on  like  a  i 


'•  •••"''  nfusion  and  misery  of 

>•    covered   ti  i   Avoiueii 

.  »r,  in    flie 

•Q  lasB^qy  \fisinoa  »  • 

" 

:Vi. 

'    '•' 
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.:•-,  .;•:'!    u-ith   voice  ami   hand  i) 

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,:     '" 

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rtl    'i 

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-   •'•••  •-     •! 

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Copyright,  1901,  by  Funk  A  Was,'"   lis  Company,  N.  Y.  and  London. 


B  JCucning  trireme 


of  my  trireme,  in  which  was  stowed  a  large  freightage  of  the         Un  a 
bitumen  and  niter  of  the  desert.     A  column  of  flame,  white  as          lr  po° 
silver,  rose  straight  and  steadily  up  to  the  clouds ;  and  the 
huge  ship,  disparting  timber  by  timber,  reeled,  heaved,  and 
plunged  headlong  into  the  bosom,  of  the  ocean. 

I  rose  to  the  surface  from  a  prodigious  depth.  I  was  near- 
ly breathless.  My  limbs  were  wasted  with  famine  and  fa- 
tigue ;  but  the  tossing  of  the  surges  sustained  and  swept  me 
on.  The  chill  at  last  benumbed  me,  and  my  limbs  were 
heavy  as  iron,  when  a  broken  mast  rolling  by  entangled  me 
in  its  cordage.  It  drove  toward  a  point  of  land,  round  which 
the  current  swept.  Strongly  netted  in  the  wreck,  I  was 
dragged  along,  sometimes  above  the  billow,  sometimes  below. 
But  a  violent  shock  released  me,  and  with  a  new  terror  I  felt 
myself  go  down.  1  was  engulfed  in  the  whirlpool! 

Every  sensation  was  horribly  vivid.  I  had  the  full  con- 
sciousness of  life  and  of  the  unfathomable  depth  into  which 
I  was  descending.  I  heard  the  roar  and  rushing  of  the 
waters  round  me ;  the  holding  of  my  breath  was  torture ;  I 
strained,  struggled,  tossed  out  my  arms,  and  grasped  madly 
around,  as  if  to  catch  something  that  might  retard  my  hideous 
descent.  My  eyes  were  open.  I  never  was  less  stunned  by 
shock  or  fear.  The  solid  darkness,  the  suffocation,  the  furi- 
ous whirl  of  the  eddy  that  spun  me  round  its  huge  circle  like 
an  atom  of  sand — eveiy  sense  of  drowning — passed  through 
rny  shattered  frame  with  an  individual  and  successive  pang. 
I  at  last  touched  something,  whether  living  or  dead,  fish  or 
stone,  I  know  not;  but  the  impulse  changed  my  direction, 
and  I  was  darted  up  to  the  surface  in  a  little  bay  sheltered 
by  hills. 

The  storm  had  gone  with  the  rapidity  of  the  south.  The 
sun  burned  bright  and  broad  above  my  head;  the  pleasant 
breath  of  groves  and  flowery  perfumes  came  on  the  waters ;  a 
distant  sound  of  sweet  voices  lingered  on  the  air.  Like  one 
roused  from  a  frightful  dream,  I  could  scarcely  believe  that 
this  was  reality.  But  the  rolling  waters  behind  gave  me  sud- 
den evidence.  A  billow,  the  last  messenger  of  the  storm, 
burst  into  the  little  bay,  filled  it  to  the  brim  with  foam,  and 

319. 


£bou  Gill  1  Come 


H  amet  Spot  tossed  me  far  forward.  It  rolled  back,  dragging  with  it  the 
sedge  and  pebbles  of  the  beach.  I  grasped  the  trunk  of  an 
olive,  rough  arid  firm  as  the  rock  itself.  The  retiring  waves 
left  me ;  I  felt  my  way  some  paces  among  the  trees,  cast  my- 
self down,  and,  worn  out  with  fatigue,  had  scarcely  reached 
their  shade  when  I  fainted. 

I  awoke  in  the  decline  of  the  day,  as  I  could  perceive  by 
the  yellow  and  orange  hues  that  colored  the  thick  branches 
above  me.  I  was  lying  in  a  delicious  recess,  crowded  with 
fruit-trees ;  my  bed  was  the  turf,  but  it  was  soft  as  down ;  a 
solitary  nightingale  above  my  head  was  sending  forth  snatches 
of  that  melody  which  night  prolongs  into  the  very  voice  of 
sweetness  and  sorrow;  and  a  balmy  air  from  the  wild  thyme 
and  blossoms  of  the  rose  breathed  soothingly  even  to  the 
mind. 

T  had  been  thrown  on  one  of  the  little  isles  that  lie  off  An- 
thiedon,  a  portion  of  the  Philistine  territory  before  it  was 
won  by  our  hero  the  Maccabee.  The  commerce  which  once 
rilled  the  arm  of  the  sea  near  Gaza  had  perished  in  the  change 
of  masters,  and  silence  and  seclusion  reigned  in  a  spot  for- 
merly echoing  with  the  tumult  of  merchant  and  mariner.  The 
little  isle,  the  favorite  retreat  of  the  opulent  Greek  and  Syrian 
traders  in  the  overpowering  heats  of  summer,  and  cultivated 
with  the  lavish  expenditure  of  commercial  wealth,  now  gave 
no  proof  of  its  ever  having  felt  the  foot  of  man,  but  in  the 
spontaneous  exuberance  of  flowers,  once  brought  from  every 
region  of  the  East  and  West,  and  the  exquisite  fruits  that 
still  glowed  on  its  slopes  and  dells. 

In  all  things  else  Nature  had  resumed  her  rights ;  the  gilded 
pavilions,  the  temples  of  Parian  and  Numidian  stone,  were  in 
ruins,  and  buried  under  a  carpet  of  roses,  and  myrtles.  The 
statues  left  but  here  and  there  a  remnant  of  themselves,  a 
lovely  relic,  wreathed  over  in  fantastic  spirals  by  the  clematis 
and  other  climbing  plants.  The  sculptured  fountain  let  its 
waters  loose  over  the  ground,  and  the  guardian  genius  that 
hung  in  marble  beauty  over  the  spring  had  long  since  re- 
signed his  charge  and  lay  mutilated  and  discolored  with  the 
air  and  the  dew.  But  the  spring  still  gushed,  bounding 

320 


8  JBurnfng  {Trireme 


bright  between  the  gray  fissures  of  the  cliff,  and  marking  its     m  iRefuge 
course  through  the  plain  by  the  richer  mazes  of  green. 

To  me,  who  was  as  weary  of  existence  as  ever  was  galley- 
slave,  this  spot  of  quiet  loveliness  had  a  tenfold  power.  My 
mind,  like  my  body,  longed  for  rest. 

Through  life  I  had  walked  in  a  thorny  path ;  my  ambition 
had  winged  a  tempestuous  atmosphere.  Useless  hazards,  wild 
projects,  bitter  sufferings,  were  my  portion.  Those  feelings 
in  which  alone  I  could  be  said  to  live  had  all  been  made 
inlets  of  pain.  The  love  which  nature  and  justice  won  from 
me  to  my  family  was  perpetually  thwarted  by  a  chain  of 
circumstances  that  made  me  a  wretched,  helpless,  and  soli- 
tary man.  What  then  could  I  do  better  than  abandon  the 
idle  hope  of  finding  happiness  among  mankind ;  break  off  the 
trial,  which  must  be  prolonged  only  to  my  evil ;  and  elude  the 
fate  that  destined  me  to  be  an  exile  in  the  .world?  Yes,  I 
would  no  longer  be  a  man  of  suffering,  in  the  presence  of  its 
happiness;  a  wretch  stripped  of  an  actual  purpose,  or  a 
solid  hope,  in  the  midst  of  its  activity  and  triumph ;  the  ab- 
horred example  of  a  career  miserable  with  defeated  pursuit, 
and  tantalized  with  expectations  vain  as  the  ripple  on  the 
stream ! 

In  this  stern  resolve,  gathering  courage  from  despair — as 
the  criminal  on  the  scaffold  scoffs  at  the  world  that  rejects 
him — I  determined  to  exclude  recollection.  The  spot  round 
me  was  henceforth  to  fill  up  the  whole  measure  of  my 
thoughts.  Wife,  children,  friends,  country,  to  me  must  exist 
no  more.  I  imaged  them  in  the  tomb ;  I  talked  with  them  as 
shadows,  as  the  graceful  and  lovely  existences  of  ages  past, — 
as  hallowed  memorials ;  but  labored  to  divest  them  of  the  in- 
dividual features  that  cling  to  the  soul. 

Lest  this  mystic  repose  should  be  disturbed  by  any  of  the 
sights  of  living  man,  I  withdrew  deeper  into  the  shades 
which  first  sheltered  me.  It  was  enough  foV  me  that  there 
was  a  canopy  of  leaves  above  to  shield  my  limbs  from  the 
casual  visitations  of  a  sky  whose  sapphire  looked  scarcely 
capable  of  a  stain,  and  that  the  turf  was  soft  for  my  couch. 
Fruits  sufficient  to  tempt  the  most  luxurious  taste  were  fall- 

21  321 


Carrg  Ebou  Stll  1F  Come 


©n  the  Shores  ing  round  me,  and  the  waters  of  the  bright  rivulet,  scooped 
flDe&ftcrrancan  in  the  rind  of  citron  and  orange,  were  a  draft  that  the  epi- 
cure might  envy.  I  was  still  utterly  ignorant  on  what  shore 
of  the  Mediterranean  I  was  thrown,  further  than  that  the  sun 
rose  behind  my  bower  and  threw  his  western  luster  on  the 
waveless  expanse  of  sea  that  spread  before  it  to  the  round 
horizon. 


322 


CHAPTER  XLI 

The  Granddaughter  of  Ananus 

BUT  no  man  can  be  a  philosopher  against  nature.  With  my  Saiatbid's 
strength  the  desire  for  exertion  returned.  My  most  voluptuous 
rest  became  irksome.  Memory  would  not  be  restrained;  the 
floodgates  of  thought  opened  once  more,  and  to  resist  the 
passion  for  the  world,  I  was  driven  to  the  drudgery  of  the 
hands.  I  gathered  wood  for  the  winter's  fuel,  in  the  midst 
of  days  when  the  sun  poured  fire  from  the  heavens;  I  at- 
tempted to  build  a  hut,  beside  grottoes  that  a  hermit  would 
love ;  I  trained  trees  and  cultivated  flowers  where  the  soil 
threw  out  all  that  was  rich  in  both  with  exhaustless  prodi- 
gality. 

Yet  no  expedient  would  appease  the  passion  for  the  ab- 
sorbing business  of  the  world.  My  bower  lost  its  enchant- 
ment; the  delight  of  lying  on  beds  of  violet,  and  with  my 
eyes  fixed  on  the  heavens,  wandering  away  in  rich  illu- 
sion, palled  upon  me;  the  colors'of  the  vision  had  grown  dim. 
I  no  longer  saw  shapes  of  beauty  winging  their  way  through 
the  celestial  azure ;  I  heard  no  harmonies  of  spirits  on  the 
midnight  winds ;  I  followed  no  longer  the  sun,  rushing  on  his 
golden  chariot-wheels  to  lands  unstained  by  human  step,  or 
plunged  with  him  at  eve  into  the  depths  and  ranged  the  secret 
wonders  of  ocean. 

Labor  in  its  turn  grew  irksome.  I  began  to  reproach  my- 
self for  the  vulgar  existence  which  occupied  only  the  inferior 
portion  of  uiy  nature;  living  only  for  food,  sleep,  and  shelter, 
what  was  I  better  than  the  seals  that  basked  on  the  shore  at 
my  feet?  '  Night,  too — that  mysterious  rest,  interposed  for 
purposes  of  such  varied  beneficence :  to  cool  the  brain,  fevered 
by  the  bustle  of  the  day;  to  soften  mutual  hostility,  by  a 
pause  to  which  all  alike  must  yield ;  to  remind  our  forgetful 

823 


Garrg  Cbou  GUI  f  Come 


•Cbc  I0ianj>  nature,  by  a  perpetual  semblance,  of  the  time  when  all  things 
must  pass  away,  and  be  silent,  and  sleep?; to  sit  in  judgment 
on  our  hearts,  and  by  a  decision  which  no  hypocrisy  can  dis- 
guise, anticipate  the  punishment  of  the  villain,  as  it  gives  the 
man  of  virtue  the  foretaste  of  his  reward — night  began  to  ex- 
ert its  old  influence  over  me ;  and  with  the  strongest  deter- 
mination to  think  no  more  of  what  had  been,  I  closed  my 
eyes  but  to  let  in  the  past.  I  might  have  said  that  my  true 
sleep  was  during  the  labors  of  the  day,  and  my  waking  wlirn 
I  lay,  with  my  senses  sealed,  upon  my  bed  of  leaves. 
/  It  is  impossible  to  shut  up  the  mind, land  I  at  last  aban- 
doned the  straggle.  The  spell  of  indolence  once  broken,  I 
became  as  restless  as  an  eagle  in  a  cage.  My  first  object  was 
to  discover  on  what  corner  of  the  land  I  was  thrown.  Noth- 
ing could  be  briefer  than  the  circuit  of  my  island,  and  nothing 
less  explanatory.  It  was  one  of  those  little  alluvial  spots  that 
grow  round  the  first  rock  that  catches  the  vegetation  swept 
down  by  rivers.  Ages  had  gone  by,  while  reed  was  bound  to 
reed  and  one  bed  of  clay  laid  upon  another.  The  ocean  had 
thrown  up  its  sands  on  the  shore ;  the  winds  had  sown  tree 
and  herb  on  the  naked  sides  of  the  tall  rock ;  the  tree  had 
drawn  the  cloud,  and  from  its  roots  let  loose  the  spring. 
Cities  and  empires  had  perished  while  this  little  island  was 
forming  into  loveliness.  Thus  nature  perpetually  builds, 
while  decay  does  its  work  with  the  pomp  of  man.  From  the 
shore  I  saw  but  a  long  line  of  yellow  sand  across  a  broad  belt 
of  blue  waters.  No  sight  on  earth  could  less  attract  the  eye 
or  be  less  indicative  of  man. 

Yet  within  that  sandy  barrier  what  wild  and  wondrous  acts 
might  be  doing,  and  to  be  done!  My  mind,  with  a  pinion 
that  no  sorrow  or  bondage  could  tame,  passed  over  the  desert, 
and  saw  the  battle,  the  siege,  the  bloody  sedition,  the  long 
and  heart-broken  banishment,  the  fierce  conflict  of  passions 
irrestrainable  as  the  tempest,  the  melancholy  rain  of  my 
country  by  a  judgment  powerful  as  fate,  and  dreary  and  rc- 
turnless  as  the  grave !  But  the  waters  between  me  and  that 
shore  were  an  obstacle  that  no  vigor  of  imagination  could 
overcome.  I  was  too  feeble  to  attempt  the  passage  by  swiiu- 

324 


<3ranODau0bter  of  Bnanus 


ming.  The  opposite  coast  appeared  to  be  uninhabited,  and  •Unanswm& 
the  few  fishing-boats  that  passed  lazily  along  this  lifeless 
coast  evidently  shunned  the  island,  as  I  conceived,  from  some 
hidden  shoal.  I  felt  myself  a  prisoner,  and  the  thought  irri- 
tated me.  That  ancient  disturbance  of  my  mind,  which  ren- 
dered it  so  keenly  excitable,  was  born  again;  I  felt  its  com- 
ing, and  knew  that  my  only  resource  was  to  escape  from  this 
circumscribing  paradise  that  had  become  my  dungeon.  Day 
after  day  I  paced  the  shore,  awaking  the  echoes  with  my  use- 
less shouts,  as  each  distant  sail  glided  along  close  to  the  sandy 
line  that  was  now  to  me  the  unattainable  path  of  happiness. 
I  made  signals  from  the  hill,  but  I  might  as  well  have  sum- 
moned the  vultures  to  stop  as  they  flew  screaming  above  my 
head  to  feed  on  the  relics  of  the  Syrian  caravans. 

What  trifles  can  sometimes  stand  between  man  and  enjoy- 
ment !  Wisdom  would  have  thanked  Heaven  for  the  hope  of 
escaping  the  miseries  of  life  in  the  little  enchanted  round, 
guarded  by  that  entrenchment  of  waters,  filled  with  every 
production  that  could  delight  the  sense,  and  giving  to  the 
spirit,  weary  of  all  that  the  world  could  offer,  the  gentle  re- 
tirement in  which  it  could  gather  its  remaining  strength  and 
make  its  peace  with  Heaven. 

I  was  lying  during  a  fiery  noon  on  the  edge  of  the  island, 
looking  toward  the  opposite  coast,  the  only  object  on  which  I 
could  now  bear  to  look,  when,  in  the  stillness  of  the  hour,  I 
heard  a  strange  mingling  of  distant  sounds,  yet  so  totally  in- 
distinct that,  after  long  listening,  I  could  conjecture  it  to  be 
nothing  but  the  rising  of  the  surge.  It  died  away.  But  it 
haunted  me":  I  heard  it  in  fancy.  It  followed  me  in  the 
morn,  the  noon,  and  the  twilight ;  in  the  hour  of  toil  and  in 
the  hour  when  earth  and  heaven  were  soft  and  silent  as  an 
infant's  sleep — when  the  very  spirit  of  tranquillity  seemed  to 
be  folding  his  dewy  wings  over  the  world./ 

Wearied  more  with  thought  than  with  the  daily  toil  that  I 
imposed  on  myself  for  its  cure,  I  had  one  night  wandered  to 
the  shore,  and  lain  down  under  the  shelter  of  those  thick 
woven  boughs  that  scarcely  let  in  the  glimpses  of  the  moon. 
The  memory  of  all  whom  later  chances  brought  in  my  path 

325 


Cbou  Gill  1  Come 


Saiatbfd  passed  before  me — the  fate  of  niy  gallant  kinsmen  in  Masada, 
'sbclter S  of  the  wily  Ishinaelite,  of  the  pirate  captain,  of  that  unhappy 
crew  whose  danger  was  my  involuntary  deed,  of  my  family 
scattered  upon  the  face  of  the  world.  Arcturus,  bending 
toward  the  horizon,  told  me  that  it  was  already  midnight, 
when  my  reverie  was  broken  by  the  same  sounds  that  had 
once  disturbed  my  day.  But  they  now  came  full  and  dis- 
tinct. I  heard  the  crashing  of  heavy  axles  along  the  road, 
the  measured  tramp  of  cavalry,  the  calls  of  the  clarion  and 
trumpet.  They  seemed  beside  me.  I  started  from  my  sand, 
but  all  around  was  still.  I  gazed  across  the  waters ;  they 
were  lying,  like  another  sky,  reflecting  star  for  star  with  the 
blue  immensity  above — but  on  them  was  no  living  thing. 

I  had  heard  of  phantom  armies  traversing  the  air,  but  the 
sky  was  serene  as  crystal.  I  climbed  the  hill,  upon  whose 
summit  I  recollected  to  have  seen  the  ruins  of  an  altar ;  gath- 
ered the  weeds,  and  lighted  them  for  a  beacon.  The  flame 
threw  a  wide  and  ruddy  reflection  on  the  waters  and  the  sky. 
I  watched  by  it  until  morn.  But  the  sound  had  died  as 
rapidly  as  it  rose ;  and  when,  with  the  first  pearly  tinge  of 
the  east,  the  coast  shaped  itself  beneath  my  eye,  I  saw  with 
bitter  disappointment  but  the  same  solitary  shore.  The  idea 
of  another  day  of  suspense  was  intolerable ;  I  returned  to  my 
place  of  refuge ;  gave  it  that  glance  of  mingled  feeling,  with- 
out which  perhaps  no  man  leaves  the  shelter  which  he  is  never 
to  see  again ;  collected  a  few  fruits  for  my  sustenance,  if  I 
should  reach  the  desert ;  and  with  a  resolution  to  perish,  if  it 
so  pleased  Providence,  but  not  to  return,  plunged  into  the 
sea. 

The  channel  was  even  broader  than  I  had  calculated  by  the 
eye.  My  limbs  were  still  enfeebled,  but  my  determination 
was  strength.  I  was  swept  by  the  current  far  from  the  op- 
posite curve  of  the  shore ;  yet  its  force  spared  mine,  and  after 
a  long  struggle  I  felt  the  ground  under  my  feet.  I  was  over- 
joyed, tho  never  was  scene  less  fitted  for  joy.  To  the  ut- 
most verge  of  the  view  spread  the  sands,  a  sullen  herbless 
waste,  glowing  like  a  sheet  of  brass  in  the  almost  vertical  sun. 
But  I  was  on  land!  I  had  accomplished  my  purpose. 

326 


(BranDDaugbter  of  Bnanua 


Hope,  the  power  of  exertion,  the  chances  of  glorious  future    Ubc  iRobber 
life,  were  before  me.     I  was  no  longer  a  prisoner,  within  the 
borders  of  a  spot  which,  for  all  the  objects  of  manly  exist- 
ence, might  as  well  have  been  my  grave. 

I  journeyed  on  by  sun  and  star  in  that  direction  which,  to 
the  Jew,  is  an  instinct — to  Jerusalem.  Yet  what  fearful  re- 
verses, in  this  time  of  confusion,  might  not  have  occurred 
even  there !  What  certainty  could  I  have  of  being  spared  the 
bittei'est  losses,  when  sorrow  and  slaughter  reigned  through 
the  land?  Was  I  to  be  protected  from  the  storm,  that  fell 
with  such  promiscuous  fury  upon  all?  I,  too,  the  marked, 
the  victim,  the  example  to  mankind!  I  looked  wistfully  back 
to  the  isle — that  isle  of  oblivion. 

While  I  was  pacing  the  sand  that  actually  scorched  my 
feet,  I  heard  a  cry,  and  saw  on  a  low  range  of  sand-hills,  at 
some  distance,  a  figure  making  violent  gestures.  Friend  or 
enemy,  at  least  here  was  man,  and  I  did  not  deeply  care  for 
the  consequences,  even  of  meeting  man  in  his  worst  shape. 
Hunger  and  thirst  might  be  more  formidable  enemies  in  the 
end;  and  I  advanced  toward  the  half -naked  savage,  who, 
however,  ran  from  me,  crying  out  louder  than  ever.  I 
dragged  my  weary  limbs  after  him,  and  at  length  reached  the 
edge  of  a  little  dell  in  which  stood  a  circle  of  tents.  I  had 
fallen  among  the  robbers  of  the  desert,  but  there  was  evident 
confusion  in  this  fragment  of  a  tribe.  The  camels  were  in 
the  act  of  being  loaded ;  men  and  women  were  gathering  their 
household  matters  with  the  haste  of  terror ;  and  dogs,  sheep, 
camels,  and  children  set  up  their  voices  in  a  general  clamor. 

Dreading  that  I  might  lose  my  only  chance  of  refreshment 
and  guidance,  I  cried  out  with  all  my  might,  and  hastened 
down  toward  them ;  but  the  sight  of  me  raised  a  universal 
scream,  and  every  living  thing  took  flight,  the  horsemen  of 
the  colony  gallantly  leading  the  way,  with  a  speed  that  soon 
left  the  pedestrians  far  in  the  rear.  But  their  invader  con- 
quered only  for  food.  I  entered  the  first  of  the  deserted  tents, 
and  indulged  myself  with  a  full  feast  of  bread,  dry  and  rough 
as  the  sand  on  which  it  was  baked,  and  of  water,  only  less 
bitter  than  that  through  which  I  had  swum.  Still,  all  luxury 

327 


tbou  till  1f  Come 


ft  Oiri'a      is  relative.     To  me  they  were  both  delicious,  and  I  thanked 

pearance    at  once  the  good  fortune  which  had  provided  so  prodigally  for 

those  withered  monarchs  of  the  sands,  and  had  invested  my 

raggedness  with  the  salutary  terror  that  gave  me  the  fruits 

of  triumph  without  the  toil. 

At  the  close  of  my  feast,  I  uttered  a  few  customary  words 
of  thanksgiving.  A  cry  of  joy  rang  in  my  ears ;  I  looked 
round;  saw,  to  my  surprise,  a  bale  of  carpets  walk  forward 
from  a  corner  of  the  tent,  and  heard  a  Jewish  tongue  implor- 
ing for  life  and  freedom.  I  rapidly  developed  the  speaker, 
and  from  this  repulsive  overture  came  forth  one  of  the  love- 
liest young  females  that  I  had  ever  seen.  Her  story  was  soon 
told.  She  was  the  granddaughter  of  Ananus,"  the  late  high 
priest,  one  of  the  most  distinguished  of  his  nation  for  every 
lofty  quality ;  but  he  had  fallen  on  evil  days.  His  resistance 
to  faction  sharpened  the  dagger  against  him,  and  he  perished 
in  one  of  the  merciless  feuds  of  the  city.  His  only  descend- 
ant was  now  before  me ;  she  had  been  sent  to  claim  the  pro- 
tection of  her  relatives  in  the  south  of  Judea.  But  her  escort 
was  dispersed  by  an  attack  of  the  Arabs,  and  in  the  division 
of  the  spoil  the  sheik  of  this  little  encampment  obtained  her 
as  his  share.  The  robber  merchant  was  on  his  way  to  Cses- 
area  to  sell  his  prize  to  the  Roman  governor,  when  my  ar- 
rival put  his  caravan  to  the  rout.  To  my  inquiry  into  the 
cause  of  this  singular  success,  the  fair  girl  answered  that  the 
Arabs  had  taken  me  for  a  supernatural  visitant,  "  probably 
come  to  claim  some  account  of  their  proceedings  in  the  late 
expedition."  They  had  been  first  startled  by  the  blaze  in  the 
island,  which  by  a  tradition  of  the  desert  was  said  to  be  the 
dwelling  of  forbidden  beings.  My  passage  of  the  channel  was 
seen,  and  increased  the  wonder;  my  daring  to  appear  alone, 
among  men  whom  mankind  shunned,  completed  the  belief  of 
my  more  than  mortal  prowess,  and  the  Arabs'  courage  aban- 
doned a  contest  in  which  "  the  least  that  could  happen  to  them 
was  to  be  swept  into  the  surge,  or  tossed  piecemeal  upon  the 
winds." 

To  prevent  the  effects  of  their  returning  intrepidity,  no  time 
was  to  be  lost  in  our  escape.  But  the  sun,  which  would  have 

328 


ftbe  <3ranfcDau0bter  of  Bnanus 


scorched  anything  but  a  lizard  or  a  Bedouin  to  death,  kept   UbeSbeffe'« 

^  •  ™r  ±-      i  Sbeftels 

us  prisoners  until  evening.     We  were  actively  employed  in 

the  mean  time.  The  plunder  of  the  horde  was  examined,  with 
the  curiosity  that  makes  one  of  the  indefeasible  qualities 
of  the  fair  in  all  climates ;  and  the  young  Jewess  had  not  been 
an  inmate  of  the  tent,  nor  possessed  the  brightest  eyes  among 
the  daughters  of  women,  for  nothing.  With  an  air  between 
play  and  revenge,  she  hunted  out  every  recess  in  which  even 
the  art  of  Arab  thievery  could  dispose  of  its  produce ;  and  at 
length  rooted  up  from  a  hole  in  the  very  darkest  corner  of  the 
tent  that  precious  deposit  for  which  the  sheik  would  have  sac- 
rificed all  mankind,  and  even  the  last  hair  of  his  beard — a  bag 
of  shekels.  She  danced  with  exultation  as  she  poured  the 
shining  contents  on  the  ground  before  me. 

"If  ever  Arab  regretted  his  capture,"  said  she,  "this  most 
unlucky  of  sheiks  shall  have  cause.  But  I  shall  teach  him  at 
least  one  virtue — repentance  to  the  last  hour  of  his  life.  I 
think  that  I  see  him  at  this  moment  frightened  into  a  phil- 
osopher, and  wishing  from  the  bottom  of  his  soul  that  he  had, 
for  once,  resisted  the  temptation  of  his  trade." 

"  But  what  will  you  do  with  the  money,  niy  pretty  teacher 
of  virtue  to  Arabs?  " 

"Give  it  to  my  preserver,"  said  she,  advancing,  with  a  look 
suddenly  changed  from  sportiveness  to  blushing  timidity; 
"give  it  to  him  who  was  sent  by  Providence  to  rescue  a 
daughter  of  Israel  from  the  hands  of  the  heathen." 

In  the  emotion,  of  gratitude  to  me  there  was  mingled  a 
loftier  feeling,  never  so  lovely  as  in  youth  and  woman ;  she 
threw  up  a  single  glance  to  heaven,  and  a  tear  of  piety  filled 
her  sparkling  eye. 

"But,  temptress  and  teacher  at  once,"  said  I,  "by  what 
right  am  I  to  seize  on  the  sheik's  treasury?  May  it  not  di- 
minish my  supernatural  dignity  with  the  tribe  to  be  known 
as  a  plunderer?  " 

"  Ha !  "  said  she,  with  a  rosy  smile ;  "  who  is  to  betray  you 
but  your  accomplice?  /Besides,  money  is  reputation  and  inno- 
cence, wisdom  and  virtue,  all  over  the  world."  / 

Touching,  with  the  tip  of  one  slender  finger,  my  arm  as  it 

329 


Cbou  GUI  f  Conic 


lay  folded  on  my  bosom,  she  waved  the  other  hand,  in  atti- 

.    j          -  L!  • 

tudes  of  untaught  persuasion. 

"  Is  it  not  true,"  pleaded  the  pretty  creature,  "  that  next  to  a 
crime  of  our  own  is  the  being  a  party  to  the  crime  of  others? 
Now,  for  what  conceivable  purpose  could  the  Arab  have  col- 
lected this  money?  Not  for  food  or  clothing;  for  he  can  cat 
thistles  with  his  own  camel,  and  nature  has  furnished  him 
with  clothing  as  she  has  furnished  the  bear.  The  haik  is  only 
an  encumbrance  to  his  impenetrable  skin.  What,  then,  can 
he  do  with  money  but  mischief,  fit  out  new  expeditions,  and 
capture  other  fair  maidens,  who  can  not  hope  to  find  spirits, 
good  or  bad,  for  their  protectors?  If  we  leave  him  the  means 
of  evil,  what  is  it  but  doing  the  evil  ourselves?  So,"  con- 
cluded this  resistless  pleader,  carefully  gathering  up  the  spoil 
and  putting  it  into  my  hands,  "  I  have  gained  my  cause,  and 
have  now  only  to  thank  my  most  impartial  judge  for  his  pa- 
tient hearing." 

/  There  is  a  magic  in  woman.  No  man,  not  utterly  degraded, 
t  can  listen  without  delight  to  the  accents  of  her  guileless  heart. 
Beauty,  too,  has  a  natural  power  over  the  mind,  and  it  is  right 
that  this  should  be.  All  that  overcomes  selfishness — the  be- 
setting sin  of  the  world — is  an  instrument  of  good.  Beauty 
is  but  melody  of  a  higher  kind,  and  both  alike  soften  the 
troubled  and  hard  nature  of  man.  Even  if  we  looked  on 
lovely  woman  but  as  on  a  rose,  an  exquisite  production  of  the 
summer  hours  of  life,  it  would  be  idle  to  deny  her  influence 
in  making  even  those  summer  hours  sweeter.  But  as  the 
companion  of  the  mind,  as  the  very  model  of  a  friendship 
no  chance  can  shake,  as  the  pleasant  sharer  of  the  heart 


"  of  heart,  the  being  to  whom  man  returns  after  the  tumult  of 
the  day,  like  the  worshiper  to  a  secret  shrine,  to  revive  his 
ik)bler  tastes  and  virtues  at  a  source  pure  from  the  evil  of  the 

i  external  world,  where  shall  we  find  her  equal,  or  what  must 
be  our  feelings  toward  the  mighty  Disposer  of  earth,  and  all 
that  inhabit  it,  but  of  admiration  and  gratitude  for  that  dis- 
posal which  thus  combines  our  fondest  happiness  with  our 
purest  virtue? 

END    OF    BOOK    II. 
330 


rvtfll 


CHAPTER  XLII 

Naomi's  Story 

THE  evening  came  at  last;  the  burning  calm  was  followed 
by  a  breeze  breathing  of  life,  and  on  the  sky  sailed,  as  if  it 
were  wafted  by  that  gentle  breeze,  the  evening  star.  The 
lifeless  silence  of  the  desert  now  began  to  be  broken  by  a 
variety  of  sounds,  wild  and  sad  enough  in  themselves,  but 
softening  by  distance,  and  not  ill  suited  to  that  declining  hour 
which  is  so  natural  an  emblem  of  the  decline  of  life.  The 
moaning  of  the  shepherd's  horn;  the  low  of  the  folding  herds; 
the  long,  deep  cry  of  the  camel ;  even  the  scream  of  the  vul- 
ture wheeling  home  from  some  recent  wreck  on  the  shore,  and 
the  howl  of  the  jackal  venturing  out  on  the  edge  of  dusk,  came 
with  no  unpleasing  melancholy  upon  the  wind.  We  stood  ga- 
zing impatiently  from  the  tent  door,  at  the  west,  that  still 
glowed  like  a  furnace  of  molten  gold. 

"  Will  that  sun  never  go  down?  "  I  exclaimed.  "We  must 
wait  his  leisure,  and  he  seems  determined  to  tantalize  us." 

"  Yes ;  like  a  rich  old  man,  determined  to  try  the  patience 
of  his  heirs,  and  more  tenacious  of  his  wealth  the  more  his 
powers  of  enjoyment  decay,"  said  the  Jewess. 

"  Philosophy  from  those  young  lips !  Yet  the  desert  is  the 
place  for  a  philosopher."  , 

"That  I  deny,"  said  my  sportive  companion.  /  "Philosophy 
is  good  for  nothing  where  it  has  nothing  to  ridicule,  and  where 
it  will  be  neither  fed  nor  flattered.  Its  true  place  is  the  world,,7 
as  much  as  the  true  place  of  yonder  falcon  is  wherever  it  can 
find  anything  to  pounce  upon.  Here  your  philosopher  must 
labor  for  himself  and  laugh  at  himself — an  indulgence  in 
which  he  is  the  most  temperate  of  men.  In  short,  he  is  fit 
only  for  the  idle,  gay,  ridiculous,  and  timid  world.  The  des- 
ert is  the  soil  for  a  much  nobler  plant.  If  you  would  train  a 
poet  into  flower,  set  him  here." 

333 


Gbou  Gill  f  Come 


B  Daughter  of      "  Or  a  plunderer. " 

"  No  doubt.     They  are  sometimes  much  the  same." 

"Yet  the  desert  produces  nothing — but  Arabs." 

"  There  are  some  minds,  even  among  Arabs,  and  some  of 
their  rhapsodies  are  beauty  itself.  The  very  master  of  this 
tent,  who  fought  and  killed,  I  dare  not  say  how  many,  to  se- 
cure so  precious  a  prize  as  myself,  and  who,  after  all  his 
heroism,  would  have  sold  me  into  slavery  for  life,  spent  half 
his  evenings  sitting  at  this  door  chanting  to  every  star  of 
heaven,  and  riming,  with  tears  in  his  eyes,  to  all  kinds  of 
tender  remembrances." 

"  But  perhaps  he  was  a  genius,  a  heaven-born  accident,  and 
his  merit  was  the  more  in  being  a  genius  in  the  midst  of  such 
a  scene." 

"  No— everything  round  us  this  hour  is  poetry.  The  silence 
— those  broken  sounds  that  make  the  silence  more  striking  as 
they  decay — those  fiery  continents  of  cloud,  the  empire  of  that 
greatest  of  sheiks,  the  sun,  lord  of  the  red  desert  of  the  air — 
the  immeasurable  desert  below. /vastness,  obscurity,  and  ter-j 
ror,  the  three  spirits  that  work  the  prof oundest  wonders  of  the 
poet,  are  here  in  their  native  region.  And  now,"  she  said, 
with  a  look  that  showed  there  were  other  spells  than  poetry 
to  be  found  in  the  desert,  "to  release  you,  I  know,  by  signs 
infallible,  that  the  sun  is  setting." 

I  could  not  avoid  laughing  at  the  mimic  wisdom  with  which 
she  announced  her  discovery,  and  asked  whence  she  had  ac- 
quired the  faculty  of  solving  such  rare  problems. 

"Oli,  by  my  incomparable  knowledge  of  the  stars."  She 
pointed  to  the  eastern  sky,  on  which  they  began  to  cluster  in 
showers  of  diamond.  "I  have  to  thank  the  desert  for  it; 
and,"  she  added,  with  a  slight  submission  of  voice,  "for  every- 
thing. I  am  a  daughter  of  the  desert ;  the  first  sight  that  I 
saw  was  a  camel ;  my  early,  my  only  accomplishments  were 
to  ride,  sing  Bedouin  songs,  tell  Bedouin  stories,  and  tame 
a  young  panther.  But  my  history  draws  to  a  close.  While 
I  was  supreme  in  the  graces  of  a  savage,  had  learned  to  sit  a 
dromedary,  throw  the  lance,  make  haiks,  and  gallop  for  a 
week  together,  love,  resistless  love,  came  in  my  way.  The 

334 


•Naomi's  Storg 


son  of  a  sheik,  heir  to  a  hundred  quarrels  and  ten  thousand 
sheep,  goats,  and  horses,  claimed  me  as  his  natural  prey.  1  " 
shrank  from  a  husband  even  more  accomplished  than  myself, 
and  was  meditating  how  to  make  my  escape,  whether  into  the 
wilderness  or  into  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  when  a  summons 
came  which,  or  the  money  that  came  with  it,  the  sheik  found 
irresistible.  And  now  my  history  is  at  an  end." 

"And  so,"  said  I,  to  provoke  her  to  the  rest  of  her  narra- 
tive, "your  story  ends,  as  usual,  with  marriage.  You,  of 
course,  finding  that  you  had  nothing  to  prevent  your  leaving 
the  desert,  took  the  female  resolution  of  remaining  in  it,  and 
as  you  might  discard  the  young  sheik  at  your  pleasure,  re- 
fused to  have  any  other  human  being." 

"  Can  you  think  me  capable  of  such  a  horror?  " 

She  stamped  her  little  foot  in  indignation  on  the  ground ; 
then  turning  on  me  Avith  her  flashing  eye,  penetrated  the 
stratagem  at  once  by  my  smile. 

"  Then  hear  the  rest.  I  instantly  mounted  my  dromedary, 
galloped  for  three  days  without  sleep,  and  at  length  saw  the 
towers  of  Jerusalem — glorious  Jerusalem.  I  passed  through 
crowds  that  seemed  to  me  a  gathering  of  the  world ;  streets 
that  astonished  me  with  a  thousand  strange  sights ;  and, 
overwhelmed  with  magnificence,  delight,  and  fatigue,  arrived 
at  a  palace,  where  I  was  met  by  a  host  of  half -adoring  do- 
mestics, and  was  led  to  the  most  venerable  and  beloved  of 
wise  and  holy  men,  who  caught  me  to  his  heart,  called  me  his 
Naomi,  his  child,  his  hope,  and  shed  tears  and  blessings  on 
my  head,  as  the  sole  survivor  of  his  illustrious  line."  She 
burst  into  tears. 

The  recollection  of  the  good  and  heroic  high  priest  was 
strong  with  us  both,  and  in  silence  I  suffered  her  sorrows  to 
have  their  way.  A  faint  echo  of  horns  and  voices  roused  me. 

"  Look  to  the  hills !  "  I  exclaimed,  as  I  saw  a  long  black  line 
creeping,  like  a  march  of  ants,  down  the  side  of  a  distant 
ridge  of  sand. 

"Those  are  our  Arabs,"  said  she,  without  a  change  of  coun- 
tenance. "  They  are,  of  course,  coming  to  see  what  the  angel, 
or  demon^  who  visited  them  to-day  has  left  in  witness  of  his 

335 


Cbou  atll  f  Come 


Ubc  Spirttei*  presence.  But  from  what  I  overheard  of  their  terrors,  no 
Arab  will  venture  near  the  tents  till  night;  night,  the  general 
veil  of  the  iniquities  of  this  amusing  and  very  wicked  world." 

"  Yet  how  shall  we  traverse  the  sands  on  foot?  " 

"Forbid  it,  the  spirit  of  romance,"  said  she.  "I  must  see 
whether  the  gallantry  of  the  sheik  has  not  provided  against 
that  misfortune." 

She  flew  into  the  tent,  and,  drawing  back  a  curtain,  showed 
me  two  mares,  of  the  most  famous  breed  of  Arabia. 

"Here  are  the  Koshlani,"  said  she,  with  playful  malice 
/  dancing  in  her  eyes;  "I  saw  them  brought  in,  in  triumph, 
last  night,  stolen  from  the  pastures  of  Achmet  Ben  Ali  him- 
self, first  horse-stealer  and  prince  of  the  Bedouins,  who  is 
doubtless  by  this  time  half  dead  of  grief  at  the  loss  of  the  two 
gems  of  his  stud.  I  heard  the  achievement  told  with  great 
rejoicings,  and  a  very  curious  specimen  of  dexterity  it  was. 
Come  forth,"  said  she,  leading  out  two  beautiful  animals, 
white  as  milk ;  "  come  forth,  you  two  lovely  orphans  of  the 
true  breed  of  Solomon — princesses  with  pedigrees  that  put 
kings  to  shame,  unless  they  can  go  back  two  thousand  years ; 
birds  of  the  Bedouin,  with  wings  to  your  feet,  stars  for 
eyes,  and  ten  times  the  sense  of  your  masters  in  your  little 
|  tossing  heads." 

She  sprang  upon  her  courser,  and  winded  it  with  the  delight 
of  practised  skill.  The  Arabs  were  now  but  a  few  miles  off 
and  in  full  gallop  toward  us.  I  urged  her  to  ride  away  at 
once,  but  she  continued  curveting  and  maneuvering  her  spir- 
1  ited  steed,  that,  enjoying  the  free  air  of  the  desert  after 
having  been  shut  up  so  long,  threw  up  its  red  nostrils  and 
bounded  like  a  stag. 

''  A  moment  yet,"  said  she ;  "  I  have  not  quite  done  with 
the  Arab.  It  is  certainly  bad  treatment  for  his  hospitality  to 
have  plundered  him  of  his  dinner,  his  money,  and  his  horses." 

"And  of  his  captive,  a  loss  beyond  all  reparation." 

"I  perfectly  believe  so,"  was  the  laughing  answer;  "but  I 
have  been  thinking  of  making  him  a  reparation  which  any 
Arab  on  earth  would  think  worth  even  my  charms.  I  have 
been  contriving  how  to  make  his  fortune." 

336 


•fflaomi's  Storg 


"By  returning  his  shekels?"  Ube  »la3fng 

"Not  a  grain  of  them  shall  he  ever  see.  No,  he  shall  not 
have  the  sorrow  to  think  that  he  entertained  only  a  princess 
and  a  philosopher.  As  a  spirit  you  came,  and  as  a  spirit  you 
shall  depart,  and  he  shall  have  the  honor  of  telling  the  tale. 
The  national  stories  of  such  matters  are  worn  out;  he  shall 
have  a  new  one  of  his  own,  and  every  emir  in  the  kingdoms 
of  Ishmael — through  the  fiery  sands  of  Ichaina,  the  riverless 
mountains  of  Nejd;  Hejaz,  the  country  of  flies  and  fools;  and 
Yemen,  the  land  of  locusts,  lawyers,  and  merchants,  will  re- 
joice to  have  him  at  his  meal.  Thus  the  man's  fortune  is 
made,  for  there  is  no  access  to  the  heart  like  that  of  being 
necessary  to  the  dinners  and  dulness  of  the  mighty." 

"Or  on  the  strength  of  the  wonder,"  said  I,  "he  may  make 
wonders  of  his  own,  turn  charlatan  of  the  first  magnitude, 
profess  to  cure  the  incurable,  and  get  solid  gold  for  empty 
pretension ;  sell  health  to  the  epicure,  gaiety  to  the  old,  and 
charms  to  the  repulsive ;  defy  the  course  of  nature,  and  live 
like  a  prince  upon  the  exhaustless  revenue  of  human  ab- 
surdity. " 

A  cloud  of  smoke  now  wreathed  up  from  the  sheik's  tent; 
fire  followed ;  and  even  while  we  looked  on,  the  wind,  carry- 
ing the  burning  fragments,  set  the  whole  camp  in  a  blaze. 
The  Arabs  gave  a  universal  shriek  and  fled  back,  scattering 
with  gestures  and  cries  of  terror  through  the  sands. 

"There — there,"  said  my  companion,  clapping  her  delicate 
white  palms  in  exultation;  "let  them  beware  of  making  wom- 
en captives  in  future.     In  my  final  visit  to  the  tent  I  put  a 
firebrand  into  the  very  bundle  of  carpets  in  which  I  played    . 
the  part  of  slave." 

"Not  to  be  your  representative,  I  presume." 

"  Yes,  with  only  the  distinction  that  in  time  I  should  have 
been  much  the  more  perilous  of  the  two.  If  that  unlucky 
sheik  had  dared  to  keep  me  a  week  longer  in  his  detestable 
tent,  I  should  have  raised  a  rebellion  in  the  tribe,  dethroned 
him,  and  turned  princess  on  my  own  account.  A  s  to  burning 
him  out,  there  was  no  remedy.  But  for  those  flames  the  tribe 
would  have  been  upon  our  road.  But  for  those  flames  we 

22  337 


Gbou  £tll  11  Come 


tf orwart !  might  even  have  been  mistaken  for  mere  mortals ;  and  your 
spirits  always  vanish  as  we  do,  in  fire  and  smoke.  How 
nobly  those  tents  blaze !  Now,  forward !  " 

She  gave  the  reins  to  her  barb,  flung  a  triumphant  gesture 
toward  the  burning  camp,  and  under  cover  of  a  huge  sheet  of 
fiery  vapor  we  darted  into  the  wilderness. 


338 


CHAPTER  XLIII 
'Before  cMas&da. 

OUR  flight  lay  toward  Masada.  The  stars  were  brilliant  Haomt's 
guides,  and  the  coolness  of  the  Arabian  night,  which  forms  so 
singular  a  contrast  to  the  overpowering  ardors  of  the  day,  re- 
lieved us  from  the  chief  obstacle  of  desert  travel.  At  day- 
break we  reached  a  tract,  whose  broken  and  burnt-up  ground 
showed  that  there  had  lately  encamped  the  army  the  sound  of 
whose  march  had  startled  my  reveries  in  the  island. 

It  was  evening  when  I  caught  the  glimpse  of  the  fortress. 
My  heart  trembled  at  the  sight.  An  impression  of  evil  was 
upon  me.  Yet  I  must  go  on  or  die. 

"There,"  said  I,  "you  see  my  home,  and  yours  while  you 
desire  it.  You  will  find  friends  delighted  to  receive  you,  and 
a  protection  that  neither  Roman  nor  Arab  can  insult.  Heaven 
grant  that  all  may  be  as  when  I  left  Masada !  " 

The  fair  girl  gratefully  thanked  me. 

"I  have  been  long,"  said  she,  "unused  to  kindness,  and  its 
voice  overpowers  me.  But  if  the  duty,  the  gratitude,  the 
faithful  devotedness  of  the  orphan  to  her  generous  preserver 
can  deserve  protection,  I  shall  yet  have  some  claim.  Suffer 
me  to  be  your  daughter." 

She  bowed  her  head  before  me  with  filial  reverence.  I  took 
the  outstretched  hand,  that  quivered  in  mine,  and  pressed  it 
to  my  lips.  The  sacred  compact  was  pledged  in  the  sight  of 
the  stars.  More  formal  treaties  have  been  made,  but  few  sin- 
cerer. 

We  rapidly  advanced  to  the  foot  of  the  ridge  that,  now  de- 
fining and  extending,  showed  its  well-known  features  in  all 
their  rugged  grandeur.  But  to  come  within  reach  of  the 
gates,  I  had  still  one  of  the  huge  buttresses  of  the  mountain 
to  go  round.  My  companion,  with  the  quick  sympathy  that 

339 


Cbou  {Till  fl  Come 


Signs  makes  one  of  the  finest  charms  of  women,  already  shared  in 
my  ominous  fears,  and  rode  by  my  side  without  a  word.  My 
eyes  were  fixed  on  the  ground.  I  was  roused  by  a  clash  of 
warlike  music.  The  suspense  was  terribly  at  an  end. 

The  spears  of  a  legion  were  moving  in  a  glittering  line 
down  the  farther  declivity.  Squadrons  of  horses  in  marching 
order  were  drawn  up  on  the  plain.  The  baggage  of  a  little 
army  lay  under  the  eye,  waiting  for  the  escort  now  descend- 
ing from  the  fortress.  The  story  of  my  ruin  was  told  in  that 
single  glance.  All  was  lost! 

The  walls  of  the  citadel,  breached  in  every  direction,  gave 
signs  of  a  long  siege.  The  White  Stag  of  Naphtali  no  longer 
lifted  its  blazon  on  the  battlements;  dismantling  and  desola- 
tion were  there.  But  what  horrors  must  have  been  wrought 
before  the  Romans  could  shake  the  strength  of  those  walls ! 

First  and  most  fearful,  what  had  been  the  fate  of  Miriam 
and  my  children?  In  what  grave  was  I  to  look  for  my  noble 
brother  and  my  kinsmen? 

Conscious  that  to  stay  was  to  give  myself  and  my  trembling 
companion  to  the  cruel  mercy  of  Rome,  I  yet  was  unable  to 
leave  the  spot.  I  hovered  round  it,  as  the  spirit  might  hover 
round  the  tomb.  Maddening  with  bitter  yearnings  of  heart, 
that  intense  eagerness  to  know  the  worst  which  is  next  to 
despair,  I  spurred  up  the  steep  by  an  obscure  path  that  led 
me  to  a  postern.  There  was  no  sound  within.  I  dashed 
through  the  streets.  Not  a  living  being  was  to  be  seen ;  piles 
of  firewood  lighted  under  the  principal  buildings  and  at  the 
gates  showed  that  the  fortress  was  destined  to  immediate 
overthrow.  War  had  done  its  worst.  The  broad,  sanguine 
plashes  on  the  pavements  showed  that  the  battle  had  been 
fought,  long  and  desperately,  within  the  walls.  The  famous 
armory  was  a  heap  of  ashes.  Ditches  dug  across  the  streets 
and  strewed  with  broken  weapons,  and  the  white  remnants  of 
what  once  was  man ;  walls  raised  within  walls,  and  now  broken 
down;  stately  houses  loopholed  and  turned  into  little  for- 
tresses; fragments  of  noble  architecture  blocking  up  the 
breaches;  graves  dug  in  every  spot  where  the  spade  could 
open  a  few  feet  of  ground ;  fragments  of  superb  f urnitur  > 

340 


JBefore  /UbasaDa 


lying  half  burnt  where  the  defenders  had  been  forced  out  by      Saiatbiel 
conflagration — all  gave  sad  evidence  of  the  struggle  of  brave 
men  against  overpowering  numbers. 

But  where  were  they  who  had  made  the  prize  so  dear  to  the 
conquerors?  Was  I  treading  on  the  clay  that  once  breathed 
patriotism  and  love?  Did  the  wreck  on  which  I  leaned,  as  I 
gazed  round  this  mighty  mausoleum,  cover  the  earthly  tene- 
ment of  my  kinsmen,  and,  still  dearer,  the  last  of  my  name? 
Was  I  treading  on  the  grave  of  those  gentle  and  lovely  na- 
tures for  whose  happiness  I  would  rejoicingly  have  laid  down 
the  scepter  of  the  world? 

I  n  my  agitation  I  cried  aloud.  My  voice  rang  through  the 
solitude  round  me,  and  returned  on  the  ear  with  a  startling 
distinctness.  But  living  sounds  suddenly  mingled  with  the 
echo.  A  low  groan  came  from  a  pile  of  ruins  beside  me.  I 
listened,  as  one  might  listen  for  an  answer  from  the  sepulcher. 
The  voice  was  heard  again.  A  few  stones  from  the  shattered 
wall  gave  way,  and  I  saw  thrust  out  the  withered,  bony  hand 
of  a  human  being.  I  tore  down  the  remaining  impediments, 
and  beheld  pale,  emaciated,  and  at  the  point  of  death  by  fa- 
mine, my  friend,  my  fellow  soldier,  my  fellow  sufferer — Jubal! 

Joy  is  sometimes  as  dangerous  as  sorrow.  He  gave  a 
glance  of  recognition,  struggled  forward,  and,  uttering  a  wild 
cry,  fell  senseless  into  my  arms.  On  his  recovering,  before 
I  could  ask  him  the  question  nearest  niy  heart,  it  was  an- 
swered. 

"They  are  safe — all  safe,"  said  he.  "On  the  landing  of 
fresh  troops  from.  Italy,  the  first  efforts  of  the  legions  were 
directed  against  the  fortress.  The  pirates,  in  return  for  the 
victory  to  which  you  led  them,  had  set  me  at  liberty.  I  made 
my  way  through  the  enemy's  posts;  Eleazar,  ever  generous 
and  noble,  received  me,  after  all  my  wanderings,  with  the 
heart  of  a  father,  and  we  determined  on  defending  this  glo- 
rious trophy  of  your  heroism,  to  the  last  man.  But  Avith  the 
wisdom  that  never  failed  him,  he  knew  what  must  be  the  re- 
sult, and  at  the  very  commencement  of  the  siege  sent  your 
family  away  to  Alexandria,  where  they  might  be  sure  of  pro- 
tection from  our  kindred." 

341 


Gbou  GUI  1  Come 


Saiatb(d'0  "  And  they  went  by  sea?  "  I  asked  shudderingly,  while  the 
whole  terrible  truth  dawned  upon  my  mind.  They  were  in 
the  fleet  which  I  had  followed. 

"  It  was  the  only  course.  The  country  was  filled  with  the 
enemy. " 

"Then  they  are  lost!  Wretched  father,  now  no  father! — 
man  marked  by  destiny! — the  blow  has  fallen  at  last!  They 
perished — I  saw  them  perish.  Their  dying  shrieks  rang  in 
these  ears.  I  was  their  destroyer.  From  first  to  last  I  have 
been  their  undoing !  " 

Jubal  looked  on  me  with  astonishment.  My  adopt  rtl 
daughter,  without  any  idle  attempt  at  consolation,  only 
bathed  my  hand  with  her  tears. 

"There  must  be  some  misconception  in  all  this,"  said 
Jubal.  "Before  we  left  that  accursed  dungeon,  they  had 
embarked  with  a  crowd  of  females  from  the  surrounding 
country  in  one  of  the  annual  fleets  for  Egypt.  Before  we 
sailed  from  the  pirates'  cavern  they  were  probably  safe  in 
Alexandria." 

"No!  I  saw  them  perish.  I  heard  their  dying  cry.  I 
drove  them  to  destruction,"  was  the  only  answer  that  my 
withering  lips  could  utter.  I  remembered  the  horrors  of  the 
storm ;  the  desperate  efforts  of  the  merchant  galley  to  escapf ; 
its  fatal  disappearance.  Faintly,  and  with  many  a  successive 
agony,  I  gave  the  melancholy  reasons  for  my  belief:  My 
auditors  listened  with  fear  and  trembling. 

"There  is  now  no  use  in  sorrow,"  said  Jubal  sternly,  "and 
as  little  in  struggle.  I  too  have  lived  until  the  light  that 
brightened  my  dreary  hours  is  extinguished.  I  too  have 
known  the  extremities  of  passion.  If  suffering  could  have 
atoned  for  my  offenses,  I  have  suffered.  A  thousand  years 
of  existence  could  not  teach  me  more.  Here  let  us  die." 

He  unsheathed  his  poniard. 

My  young  companion,  in  the  anxiety  of  the  moment,  for- 
getting the  presence  of  a  stranger,  flung  back  the  veil  which 
had  hitherto  covered  her  face  and  figure,  and  clasping  my 
raised  arm,  said  in  a  tone  so  low,  yet  penetrating,  that  it 
seemed  the  whisper  of  my  own  conscience : 

342 


JBefore  flbasafca 


"Has  death  no  fears?"     She  fixed  her  eyes  on  me  and      Haomi's 
waited  breathlessly  for  the  answer. 

"Daughter  of  beauty,"  said  Jubal,  as  a  smile  of  admiration 
played  on  his  sad  features,  "  thoughts  like  ours  are  not  for  the 
lovely  and  the  young.  May  the  Heaven  that  has  stamped 
that  countenance  be  your  protection  through  many  a  year! 
But  to  the  weary,  rest  is  happiness,  not  terror.  Prince  of 
Naphtali,  this  fair  maiden's  presence  forbids  darker  thoughts; 
we  must  speed  her  on  her  way  to  security  before  we  can  think 
of  ourselves  and  our  misfortunes." 

"The  daughter  of  Ananus,"  said  she,  in  atone  of  heroic 
pride,  "  has  no  earthly  fears.  The  boldest  warrior  of  Israel 
never  died  more  boldly  than  that  venerable  parent.  Within 
his  sacred  robes  was  the  heart  of  a  soldier,  a  patriot,  and  a 
king.  Let  me  die  for  a  cause  like  his ;  at  the  foot  of  the 
altar,  let  my  blood  be  poured  out  for  my  country ;  let  this 
feeble  form  sink  in  the  ruins  of  the  Temple,  and  death  will 
be  of  all  welcome  things  the  most  welcome.  But  I  would  not 
die  for  a  fantasy,  for  idleness,  for  nothing.  Put  up  that 
weapon,  warrior,  and  let  us  go  forth  and  see  whether  great 
things  are  not  yet  to  be  done." 

She  significantly  pointed  toward  Jerusalem. 

"  It  is  too  late,"  said  Jubal,  glancing  with  a  sigh  at  his  own 

wasted  form. 

/ 

"What?  "  said  the  heroine;  "is  it  too  late  to  be  virtuous, 
but  not  too  late  to  be  guilty?  Too  late  to  resist  the  enemies  of 
our  country,  but  not  too  late  to  make  ourselves  worthless  to 
our  holy  cause?  If  Heaven  demands  an  account  of  every 
wasted  talent  and  misspent  hour,  what  fearful  account  will 
be  theirs  who  make  all  talents  and  all  hours  useless  at  a 
blow?  " 

"Maiden,  you  have  not  known  what  it  is  to  lose  everything 
that  made  earth  a  place  of  hope,"  said  I,  gazing  with  wonder 
and  pity  on  the  fine  enthusiasm  that  the  world  is  so  fatally 
empowered  to  destroy.  "  May  not  the  tired  traveler  hasten 
to  the  end  of  his  journey  without  a  crime?  " 

"May  not  the  slave,"  said  Jubal,  "weary  of  his  chain,  es- 
cape unchidden  from  his  captivity?  " 

343 


Cbou  {Till  fl  Come 


of  "  And  may  not  the  soldier  quit  his  post  when  caprice  dis- 
gusts him  with  his  duty?  "  was  the  maiden's  answer,  with  a 
lofty  look.  "  Or,  may  not  the  child  break  loose  from  the  place 
of  instruction  and  plead  his  dislike  to  discipline?  As  well 
may  man,  placed  here  for  the  service  of  the  highest  of  beings, 
plead  his  own  narrow  will  against  the  supreme  command, 
daringly  charge  Heaven  with  the  injustice  of  setting  him  a 
task  above  his  strength,  and  madly  insult  Its  power  under 
the  pretext  of  relying  on  Its  compassion." 

She  paused,  as  if  surprised  at  her  own  earnestness,  and 
blushing,  said:  "This  wisdom  is  not  my  own.  It  was  the 
last  gift  of  an  illustrious  parent,  when  in  my  agony  at  the 
sight  of  his  mortal  wounds  I  longed  to  follow  him.  '  Live,' 
said  he,  '  while  you  can  live  with  virtue.  The  God  who  has 
placed  us  on  earth  best  knows  when  and  how  to  recall  us/  If 
self-destruction  were  no  crime  in  one  instance,  it  would  be  no 
crime  to  universal  mankind ;  the  whole  frame  of  society  would 
be  overthrown  by  a  permission  to  evade  its  duties  on  the  easy 
penalty  of  dying.'  Our  obligations  to  country,  family,  man, 
and  Heaven  would  be  perpetually  flung  off,  if  they  were  to 
be  held  at  the  caprice  of  human  nature.' ' 

Jubal  looked  intently  on  the  young  oracle,  and  tho  bending 
with  Oriental  deference,  was  yet  unconvinced. 

"Is  there  to  be  no  end  to  the  mind's  anxiety  but  the  tardy 
decay  of  the  frame?  Is  there  no  time  for  the  return  of  the 
exile,  or  what  is  this  very  feeling  of  despair  but  a  voice  within 
— an  unwritten  command  to  die?  " 

Naomi  turned  to  me  with  a  look  imploring  my  aid.  But 
I  was  broken  down  by  the  tidings  that  had  now  reached  me. 
Jubal  wrapped  his  cloak  round  him,  and  was  striding  into  the 
shadow  of  the  ruin.  Naomi,  terrified  at  the  idea  of  death, 
seized  the  corner  of  his  mantle. 

"Will  you  shrink  from  the  evils  of  life,"  she  adjured, 
"and  yet  have  the  dreadful  courage  to  defy  the  wrath  of 
Heaven?  Shall  worms  like  us,  shall  creatures  covered  with 
weaknesses  and  sins,  whose  only  hope  must  be  in  mercy,  com- 
mit a  crime  that  by  its  very  nature  disclaims  supplication  and 
makes  repentance  impossible?  " 

344 


With  the  energy  of  terror  she  threw  back  the  folds  of  the 
cloak  and  arrested  the  hand,  with  the  dagger  already  up- 
lifted. She  led  back  the  reluctant,  yet  unresisting,  step,  and 
said  in  a  voice  still  trembling:  "Prince  of  Naphtali,  save 
your  brother !  " 

I  held  out  my  arms  to  Jubal;  the  sternness  of  his  soul  was 
past,  and  he  fell  upon  my  neck.  Naomi  stood,  exulting  in 
her  triumph,  with  the  countenance  that  an  angel  might  wear 
at  the  return  of  a  sinner. 

"Prince  of  Naphtali,"  said  she,  "if  those,  who  were  dear  to 
you  have  perished — which  Heaven  avert! — you  may  have  been 
thus  but  the  more  marked  out  for  the  instrument  of  solemn 
services  to  Israel.  The  virtues  that  might  have  languished 
in  the  happiness  of  home  may  be  summoned  into  vigor  for 
mankind.  Warrior,"  and  she  turned  her  glowing  smile  on 
Jubal,  "this  is  not  the  time  for  valor  and  experience  to  shrink 
from  the  side  of  our  country.  Perfidy  may  still  be  repelled 
by  patriotism ;  violence  put  down  by  wisdom ;  the  power  of 
the  people  roused  by  the  example  of  a  hero ;  even  the  last 
spark  of  life  may  be  made  splendid  by  mingling  with  the  last 
glories  of  the  people  of  God." 

Jubal' s  wasted  cheek  reddened  with  the  theme;  but  his 
emotion  was  too  deep  for  language.  He  led  the  way;  we 
passed  in  silence  through  the  deserted  streets,  and  without  see- 
ing the  face  of  a  human  being,  reached  the  dismantled  gates 
of  Masada. 


845 


CHAPTER  XLIV 

Among  ^oman  Soldiers 


2>ctafi6  of  a  JUBAL  guided  us  down  the  declivities  among  ramparts  and 
trenches,  and  after  long  windings,  where  every  step  reminded 
me  of  havoc,  brought  us  to  a  little  hamlet  in  the  recesses  of 
the  valley,  so  secluded  that  it  seemed  never  to  have  heard  the 
sound  of  war.  The  thunder  of  the  falling  masses  of  fortifica- 
tion, as  the  fire  reached  their  props,  kept  us  awake  all  night, 
and  I  arose  from,  my  humble  couch  to  breathe  the  delicious 
air  that  makes  the  summer  night  of  Asia  the  time  of  refresh- 
ment alike  to  the  frame  and  to  the  mind.  I  found  Jubal 
already  abroad  and  gazing  on  the  summit  of  the  mountain, 
where  the  sullen  glare  of  the  sky  and  the  crash  of  buildings 
showed  that  the  work  of  devastation  was  rapidly  going  on. 

He  gave  me  some  details  of  the  siege.  The  Romans  had 
found  the  fortress  so  hazardous  to  the  advance  of  their  reen- 
forcements  that  its  possession  was  essential  to  the  conquest 
of  Judea.  Cestius,  my  old  antagonist,  solicited  the  command 
to  wipe  off  his  disgrace,  and  the  whole  force  of  the  legions 
was  brought  up.  But  the  generalship  of  Eleazar  and  the 
intrepidity  of  the  garrison  baffled  every  assault,  with  tre- 
mendous  loss  of  the  enemy.  The  siege  was  next  turned  into 
a  blockade.  Famine  and  disease  were  more  formidable  than 
the  sword;  and  the  brave  defenders  were  reduced  to  a  number 
scarcely  able  to  man  the  walls. 

."We  now,"  said  Jubal,  "fought  the  battle  of  despair;  we 
saw  the  enemy's  camp  crowded  every  day  with  fresh  troops, 
and  the  provisions  of  the  whole  country  brought  among  them 
in  profusion,  while  we  had  not  a  morsel  to  eat,  while  our 
fountains  ran  dry,  and  while  our  few  troops  were  harassed 
with  mortal  fatigue.  Yet  no  man  thought  of  surrender. 
Eleazar  's  courage  —  a  courage  sustained  by  higher  thoughts 

346 


Bmong  "Roman  Soldiers 


than  those  of  the  soldier,  the  fortitude  of  piety  and  prayer —     Ube  final 
inspired  us  all,  and  we  went  to  our  melancholy  duties  with 
the  calmness  of  men  to  whom  the  grave  was  inevitable. 

"At  last,  when  our  reduced  numbers  gave  the  enemy  a 
hope,  we  were  attacked  by  their  whole  force.  But,  if  they 
expected  to  conquer  us  at  their  ease,  never  were  they  more 
deceived.  When  the  walls  gave  way  before  their  machines, 
they  were  fought  from  street  to  street,  from  house  to  house, 
from  chamber  to  chamber.  Eleazar,  as  active  as  he  was  wise, 
was  everywhere ;  we  fought  in  ruins — in  fire.  Multitudes  of 
the  enemy  perished,  and  more  deaths  were  given  by  the  knife 
than  the  spear,  for  our  arms  were  long  since  exhausted.  The 
last  effort  was  made  on  the  spot  where  you  found  me.  When 
every  defense  was  mastered  by  the  constant  supply  of  fresh 
troops,  Eleazar,  passing  through  the  subterranean  to  attack 
the  Roman  rear,  left  me  in  command  of  the  few  who  survived. 
We  entrenched  ourselves  in  the  armory.  For  three  days  we 
fought  without  tasting  food,  without  an  hour's  sleep,  without 
laying  the  weapons  out  of  our  hands.  At  length  the  final 
assault  was  given.  In  the  midst  of  it  we  heard  shouts  Avhich 
told  us  that  our  friends  had  made  the  concerted  attack,  but 
we  were  too  few  and  feeble  to  second  it.  The  shouts  died 
away ;  we  were  overpowered,  and  my  first  sensation  of  return- 
ing life  was  the  combined  agony  of  famine,,  wounds,  and  suf- 
focation, under  the  ruins  that  I  then  thought  my  living 
grave." 

"By  dawn,"  said  I,  "we  must  set  out  for  Jerusalem." 

"It  has  been  closely  invested,"  was  the  answer,  "for  the 
last  three  months;42  and  famine  and  faction  are  doing  their 
worst  within  the  walls.  Titus  is  without,  at  the  head  of  a 
hundred  thousand  of  the  legionaries  and  auxiliaries.  To  en- 
ter will  be  next  to  impossible,  and  when  once  entered,  what 
will  be  before  you  but  the  madness  of  civil  discord,  and 
finally,  death  by  the  hands  of  an  enemy  utterly  infuriated 
against  our  nation?  " 

"To  Jerusalem,  at  all  risks,"  I  exclaimed;  "my  fate  is 
mingled  with  that  of  the  last  stronghold  of  our  fallen  people. 
What  matters  it  to  one  whose  roots  of  happiness  are  cut  up 

347 


Ebon  GUI  f  Come 


Cbc  arrival  of  like  mine,  in  what  spot  he  struggles  with  man  and  fortune? 

'**  As  a  son  of  Judea  my  powers  are  due  to  her  cause,  and  every 

drop  of  my  blood,  shed  for  any  other,  would  be  treason  to  the 

memory  of  my  fathers.     The  dawn  finds  me  on  my  way  to 

Jerusalem." 

"  Spoken  like  a  prince  of  Naphtali,"  sighed  Jubal ;  "  but  there 
I  must  not  follow  you.  The  course  of  glory  is  cut  off  for  ine ; 
alone,  something  may  still  be  done  by  collecting  the  fugitives 
of  the  tribes  and  harassing  the  Roman  communications.  But 
Jerusalem,  tho  every  stone  of  her  walls  is  precious  to  my 
soul,  must  not  receive  my  guilty  steps.  I  have  horrid  recol- 
lections of  things  seen  and  done  there.  Onias,  that  wily 
hypocrite,  will  be  there  to  fill  me  with  visions  of  terror. 
There,  too,  are  others."  He  was  silent,  but  suddenly  resu- 
ming his  firmness :  "  I  have  no  hostility  to  Constantius ;  I  even 
honor  him ;  but  my  spirit  is  still  too  feverish  to  bear  his  pres- 
ence— I  must  live  and  die,  far  from  all  whom  I  have  ever 
known." 

He  hid  his  face  in  his  mantle,  but  the  agitation  of  his  form 
showed  his  anguish,  more  than  clamorous  grief.  He  walked 
forth  into  the  darkness.  I  was  ignorant  of  his  purpose,  and 
lingered  long  for  his  return — I  saw  him  no  more. 

Disturbed  and  pained  by  his  loss,  I  had  scarcely  thrown 
myself  on  the  cottage  floor,  my  only  bed,  when  I  was  roused 
by  the  cries  of  the  village.  A  squadron  of  Roman  cavalry 
marching  to  Jerusalem  had  entered,  and  was  taking  up  its 
quarters  for  the  night.  The  peasantry  could  make  no  resist- 
ance, and  attempted  none.  I  had  only  time  to  call  to  iny 
adopted  daughter  to  rise,  when  our  hut  was  occupied  and  we 
were  made  prisoners. 

This  was  an  unexpected  blow;  yet  it  was  one  to  which,  on 
second  thoughts,  I  became  reconciled.  In  the  disturbed  state 
of  the  country,  traveling  was  totally  insecure,  and  even  to 
obtain  a  conveyance  of  any  kind  was  a  matter  of  extreme  diffi- 
culty. The  roving  plunderers  who  hovered  in  the  train  of  the 
camp  were,  of  all  plunderers,  the  most  merciless ;  while,  fall- 
ing into  the  hands  of  the  legionaries,  we  were  at  least  sure  of 
an  escort;  I  might  obtain  some  useful  information  of  their 

348 


Smong  "Roman  Sol&lers 


affairs,  and  once  in  sight  of  the  city,  might  escape  from  the  Saiatbfet  Wewa 
v  -.1  ,,          -F  tbeSolMcrof 

Koman  lines  with  more  ease  as  a  prisoner  than  I  could  pass 

them  as  an  enemy. 

The  cavalry  moved  at  daybreak,  and  before  night  we  saw 
in  the  horizon  the  hills  which  surround  Jerusalem.  We  had 
full  evidence  of  our  approach  to  the  center  of  struggle  by  the 
devastation  that  follows  the  track  of  the  best-disciplined 
army — groves  and  orchards  cut  down,  cornfields  trampled, 
cottages  burned,  gardens  and  homesteads  ravaged.  Farther 
on,  we  traversed  the  encampments  of  the  auxiliaries,  barba- 
rians of  every  color  and  language  within  the  limits  of  the 
mightiest  of  empires. 

To  the  soldier  of  civilized  nations,  war  is  a  new  state  of  ex- 
istence ;  to  the  soldier  of  barbarism,  war  is  but  a  more  active 
species  of  his  daily  life.  It  requires  no  divorce  from  his  old 
habits,  and  even  encourages  his  old  objects,  cares,  and  pleas- 
ures. We  found  the  Arab,  the  German,  the  Scythian,  and 
the  Ethiop  hunting,  carousing,  trafficking,  and  quarreling,  as  if 
they  had  never  stirred  from  their  native  regions.  The  hordes 
brought  with  them  their  families,  their  cattle,  and  their  trade. 
In  the  rear  of  every  auxiliary  camp  was  a  regular  mart 
crowded  with  all  kinds  of  dealers.  Through  the  fields  the 
barbarians  were  following  the  sports  of  home.  Trains  of 
falconers  were  flying  their  birds  at  the  wild  pigeon  and  heron. 
Half-naked  horsemen  were  running  races,  without  saddle 
or  rein,  on  horses  as  wild  and  swift  as  the  antelope.  Groups 
were  lying  under  the  palm-groves  asleep,  with  their  spears 
fixed  at  their  heads ;  others  were  seen  busily  decorating  them- 
selves for  battle ;  crowds  were  dancing,  gaming,  and  drinking- 

As  we  advanced,  we  could  hear  the  variety  of  clamors  and 
echoes  that  belong  to  barbarian  war — the  braying  of  savage 
horns,  the  roars  of  mirth,  rage,  and  feasting;  the  shouts  of 
clans  moving  up  to  reenf orce  the  besiegers ;  the  screams  and 
lamentations  of  the  innumerable  women,  as  the  wains  and  lit- 
ters brought  back  the  wounded ;  the  barbarian  howlings  over 
the  hasty  grave  of  some  chieftain ;  the  ferocious  revelry  of  the 
discoverers  of  plunder,  and  the  inextinguishable  sorrows  of 
the  captives. 

840 


ftbou  Ctll  fl  Come 


Cbe  perfection  We  passed  through  some  miles  of  this  boisterous  and  bus- 
e  tling  scene,  in  which  even  a  Roman  escort  was  scarcely  a  suffi- 
cient security.  The  barbarians  thronged  round  us,  brandished 
their  spears  over  our  heads,  rode  their  horses  full  gallop 
against  us,  and  exhausted  the  whole  language  of  scorn,  ridi- 
cule, and  wrath  upon  our  helpless  condition. 

But  the  clamor  gradually  died  away,  and  we  entered  upon 
another  region, — a  zone  of  silence  and  solitude  interposed  be- 
tween the  dangerous  riot  of  barbarism  and  the  severe  regu- 
larity of  the  legions.  Far  within  this  circle,  we  reached  the 
Roman  camp — the  world  of  disciplined  war!  The  setting 
sun  threw  a  flame  on  the  long  vistas  of  shield  and  helmet 
drawn  out,  according  to  custom,  for  the  hour  of  exercise  be- 
fore nightfall.  The  tribunes  were  on  horseback  in  front  of 
the  cohorts,  putting  them  through  that  boundless  variety  of 
admirable  movements  in  which  no  soldiery  were  so  dexterous 
as  those  of  Rome. 

But  all  was  done  with  characteristic  silence.  No  sound 
was  heard  but  the  measured  tramp  of  the  maneuver  and  the 
voice  of  the  tribune.  The  sight  was  at  once  absorbing  to 
the  eye  of  one  like  me,  an  enthusiast  in  soldiership,  and  ap- 
palling to  the  lover  of  his  country.  Before  me  was  the  great 
machine,  the  resistless  energy  that  had  leveled  the  strength 
of  the  most  renowned  kingdoms.  With  the  feeling  of  a  man 
who  sees  the  tempest  at  hand,  in  the  immediate  terror  of  the 
bolt,  I  could  yet  gaze  with  wonder  and  admiration  at  the 
grandeur  of  the  thunder-cloud !  Before  me  was  at  once  the 
perfection  of  power  and  the  perfection  of  discipline.  Here 
were  no  rambling  crowds  of  retainers,  no  hurrying  of  troops 
startled  by  sudden  rumor,  no  military  clamors.  All  was  calm, 
regular,  and  grand.  In  the  center  of  the  most  furious  war 
ever  waged,  I  might  have  thought  that  I  saw  but  a  summer 
camp  in  an  Italian  plain. 

As  the  night  fell,  the  legions  saluted  the  parting  sun  with 
homage,  according  to  a  custom  which  they  had  learned  in 
their  eastern  campaigns.  Sounds  less  of  war  than  of  wor- 
ship arose ;  flutes  breathed  in  low  and  sweet  harmonies  from 
the  lines ;  and  this  iron  soldiery,  bound  on  the  business  of  ex- 

350 


IRoman  SolDters 


termination,  moved  to  their  tents  m  the  midst  of  strains  made         trbe 

,,      ,  ,.,  T       ,          •  ,  Equipment  of 

to  wrap  the  heart  m  softness  and  solemnity.  Sotofers 

I  rose  at  dawn.  But  was  I  in  a  laud  of  enchantment?  I 
looked  for  the  immense  camp — it  had  vanished.  A  few  sol- 
diers collecting  the  prisoners  sleeping  about  the  field  were  all 
that  remained  of  an  army.  Our  guard  explained  the  wonder. 
An  attack  on  the  trenches,  in  which  the  besiegers  had  been 
driven  in  with  serious  loss,  determined  Titus  to  bring  up  his 
whole  force.  The  troops  had  moved  with  that  habitual  si- 
lence which  eluded  almost  the  waking  ear.  They  were  now 
beyond  the  hills,  and  the  hour  was  come  when  the  prison- 
ers were  ordered  to  follow  them.  But  where  was  the  daugh- 
ter of  Ananus?  I  had  placed  her  in  a  tent  with  some  captive 
females  of  our  nation.  The  tent  was  struck,  and  its  inmates 
were  gone !  On  the  spot  where  it  stood  a  flock  of  sheep  were 
already  grazing,  with  a  Roman  soldier  leaning  drowsily  on  his 
spear  for  their  shepherd. 

To  what  alarms  might  not  this  fair  girl  be  exposed?  Du- 
bious and  distressed,  I  followed  the  guard,  in  the  hope  of 
discovering  the  fate  of  an  innocent  and  lovely  being,  who 
seemed,  like  myself,  marked  for  misfortune. 

In  this  march  we  traversed  almost  the  whole  circuit  of  the 
hills  surrounding  Jerusalem,  and  I  thus  had,  for  three  days, 
the  opportunity  that  I  longed  for,  of  seeing  the  nature  of  the 
force  with  which  we  were  to  contend.  The  troops  were  ad- 
mirably armed.  There  was  nothing  for  superfluity;  yet 
those  who  conceived  the  system  knew  the  value  of  show, 
and  the  equipment  of  the  legions  was  superb.  The  helmets, 
cuirasses,  and  swords  were  frequently  inlaid  with  precious 
metals,  and  the  superior  officers  rode  richly  caparisoned 
chargers,  purchased  at  an  enormous  price  from  the  finest  studs 
of  Europe  and  Asia.  The  common  soldier  was  proud  of  the 
brightness  of  his  shield  and  helmet ;  on  duty  both  were  cov- 
ered, but  on  their  festivals  the  most  cheering  moment  was 
Avhen  the  order  was  given  to  uncase  their  arms.  Then  noth- 
ing could  be  more  magnificent  than  the  aspect  of  the  legion. 

One  striking  source  of  its  pomp  was  the  multitude  of  its 
banners.  Every  emblem,  that  mythology  could  feign,  every 

351 


Carrg  Cbou  Gill  1  Come 


Ubc  rt>ctbcft0  animal,  every  memorial  connected  with  the  history  of  soldier- 
ship and  Home,  glittered  above  the  forest  of  spears.  Gilded 
serpents,  wolves,  lions,  gods,  genii,  stars,  diadems,  imperial 
busts,  and  the  eagle  paramount  over  all,  were  mingled  with 
vanes  of  purple  and  embroidery.  The  most  showy  pageant  of 
civil  life  was  dull  and  colorless  to  the  crowded  splendor  of  the 
Roman  line. 

Their  system  of  maneuver  gave  this  magnificence  its  full 
development.  With  the  modern  armies  the  principle  is  the 
avoidance  of  fire.  With  the  ancient  armies  the  principle  "was 
the  concentration  of  force.  All  was  done  by  impulse.  The 
figure  by  which  the  greatest  weight  could  be  thrown  against 
the  enemy's  ranks,  was  the  secret  of  victory.  The  subtlety 
of  Italian  imagination,  enlightened  by  Greek  science,  and  fer- 
tilized by  the  experience  of  universal  war,  was  occupied  in  the 
discovery ;  and  the  field  exercise  of  the  legions  displayed  every 
form  into  which  troops  could  be  shaped  for  victory.  The  Ro- 
mans always  sought  to  fight  pitched  battles.  They  left  the 
minor  services  to  their  allies,  and  haughtily  reserved  them- 
selves for  the  master  strokes  by  which  empires  are  lost  or 
won.  The  humbler  hostilities,  the  obscure  skirmishings  and 
surprises,  they  disdained;  observing  that,  while  "to  steal 
upon  men  was  the  work  of  a  thief,  and  to  butcher  them  was 
the  habit  of  a  barbarian,  to  fight  them  was  the  act  of  a  sol- 
dier." 


852 


CHAPTER  XLV 

'The  'Reign  of  the  Sword 

AT  the  close  of  a  weary  day  we  reached  our  final  station,  Ubc  Uracfc  of 
upon  the  hill  of  Scopas,  seven  furlongs  from  Jerusalem. 
Bitter  memory  was  busy  with  me  there.  From  the  spot  on 
which  I  flung  myself  in  heaviness  of  heart,  huddled  among  a 
crowd  of  miserable  captives,  and  wishing  only  that  the  eve- 
ning gathering  over  me  might  be  my  last,  I  had  once  looked 
upon  the  army  of  the  oppressors  marching  into  my  toils  and 
exulted  in  the  secure  glories  of  myself  and  my  country. 

But  the  prospect  now  beneath  the  eye  showed  only  the 
fiery  track  of  invasion.  The  pastoral  beauty  of  the  plain  was 
utterly  gone.  The  innumerable  garden-houses  and  summer 
dwellings  of  the  Jewish  nobles,  gleaming  in  every  variety  of 
graceful  architecture,  among  vineyards  and  depths  of  aromatic 
foliage,  were  leveled  to  the  ground;  and  the  gardens  were 
turned  into  a  sandy  waste,  cut  up  by  trenches  and  military 
works  in  every  direction.  In  the  midst  rose  the  great  Roman 
rampart,  which  Titus,  in  despair  of  conquering  the  city  by  the 
sword,  drew  round  it,  to  extinguish  its  last  hope  of  provisions 
or  reenforcements — a  hideous  boundary,  within  which  all  was 
to  be  the  sepulcher. 

I  now  saw  Jerusalem  only  in  her  expiring  struggle.  "3  Others 
have  given  the  history  of  that  most  memorable  siege.  My 
knowledge  was  limited  to  the  last  hideous  days  of  an  exist- 
ence long  declining,  and  finally  extinguished  in  horrors  be- 
yond the  imagination  of  man. 

I  knew  her  follies,  her  ingratitude,  her  crimes ;  but  the  love 
of  the  city  of  David  was  deep  in  my  soul ;  her  lofty  privileges, 
the  proud  memory  of  those  who  had  made  her  courts  glorious, 
the  sage,  the  soldier,  and  the  prophet,  lights  of  the  world,  to 
which  the  boasted  illumination  of  the  heathen  was  darkness, 

23  353 


ZTarn?  Gbou  £111  f  Come 


»*igbtina   filled  my  sprit  with  an  immortal  homage.     I  loved  her  then— 
I  love  her  still. 

To  mingle  my  blood  with  that  of  my  perishing  country  was 
the  first  wish  of  my  heart.  But  I  was  under  the  rigor  of  the 
confinement  inflicted  on  the  Jewish  prisoners.  My  rank  was 
soon  known ;  but  while  it  produced  offers  of  new  distinction 
from  my  captors,  it  increased  their  vigilance.  To  every  temp- 
tation I  gave  the  same  denial,  and  occupied  my  hours  in 
devices  for  escape.  Meanwhile  I  saw  with  terror  that  the 
wall  of  circurnvallation  was  closing,  and  that  a  short  period 
must  place  an  impassable  barrier  between  me  and  the  city. 

I  was  aroused  at  midnight  by  the  roaring  of  one  of  those 
tempests  which  sometimes  break  in  so  fiercely  upon  an  Eastern 
summer.  The  lightning  struck  the  tower  in  which  I  was 
confined,  and  I  found  myself  riding  on  a  pile  of  ruins.  Es- 
cape, in  the  midst  of  a  Roman  camp,  seemed  as  remote  as 
ever.  But  the  storm  which  shook  walls  made  its  way  at  will 
among  tents,  and  the  whole  encampment  was  broken  up.  A 
column  of  infantry  passed  where  I  was  extricating  myself 
from  the  ruins.  They  were  going  to  reenforce  the  troops  in 
the  trenches,  against  the  chance  of  an  attack  during  the  tem- 
pest. I  followed  them.  The  night  was  terrible.  The  light- 
ning that  blazed  with  frightful  vividness,  and  then  left  the 
sky  to  tenfold  obscurity,  alone  led  us  through  the  lines.  The 
column  was  too  late,  and  it  found  the  besieged  already  mounted 
upon  the  wall  of  circumvallation,  and  flinging  it  down  in  huge 
fragments.  The  assault  and  defense  were  alike  desperate. 
At  the  moment  of  our  arrival  the  night  had  grown  pitchy 
dark,  and  the  only  evidence  that  men  were  round  me  was  the 
clang  of  arms. 

A  sudden  flash  showed  me  that  we  had  reached  the  foot  of 
the  rampart.  The  besieged,  carried  away  by  their  native  im- 
petuosity, poured  down  in  crowds.  Their  leader,  cheering 
them  on,  was  struck  by  a  lance  and  fell.  The  sight  rallied 
the  Romans.  I  felt  that  now  or  never  was  the  moment  for 
my  escape.  I  rushed  in  front,  and  called  aloud  my  name. 
At  the  voice  the  wounded  leader  uttered  a  cry  which  I  well 
knew.  I  caught  him  from  the  ground.  A  gigantic  centurion 

354 


IReign  of  tbe  Sworfc 


darted  forward  and  grasped  iny  robe.  Embarrassed  with  my 
burden,  I  was  on  the  point  of  being  dragged  back ;  the  cen- 
turion's sword  glittered  over  my  head.  With  my  only  weapon, 
a  stone,  I  struck  him  a  furious  blow  on  the  forehead.  The 
sword  fell  from  his  grasp ;  I  seized  it,  and  keeping  the  rest  at 
bay,  and  in  the  midst  of  shouts  from  my  countrymen,  leaped 
the  trench,  with  the  nobler  trophy  in  my  arms — I  had  rescued 
Constantius ! 

Jerusalem  was  now  verging  on  the  last  horrors.  I  could 
scarcely  find  my  way  through  her  ruins.  The  noble  buildings 
were  destroyed  by  conflagration  and  the  assaults  of  the  vari- 
ous factions.  The  monuments  of  our  kings  and  tribes  were 
lying  in  mutilation  at  my  feet.  Every  man  of  former  emi- 
nence was  gone.  Massacre  and  exile  had  been  the  masters  of 
the  higher  ranks ;  and  even  the  accidental  distinctions  into 
which  the  humbler  were  thrown  by  the  few  past  years,  in- 
volved a  fearful  purchase  of  public  hazard.  Like  men  in  an 
earthquake,  the  elevation  of  each  was  only  a  sign  to  him  of 
the  working  of  an  irresistible  principle  of  ruin.  But  the  most 
formidable  characteristic  was  the  change  wrought  in  the  popu- 
lar mind. 

A  single  revolution  may  be  a  source  of  public  good,  but  a 
succession  of  great  political  changes  is  always  fatal,  alike  to 
public  and  private  virtue.  The  sense  of  honor  dies  in  the 
fierce  pressures  of  personal  struggle.  Humanity  dies  in  the 
sight  of  hourly  violences.  Conscience  dies  in  the  conflict 
where  personal  safety  is  so  often  endangered  that  its  preser- 
vation at  length  usurps  the  mind.  Religion  dies  where  the 
religious  man  is  so  often  the  victim  of  the  unprincipled. 
Violence  and  vice  are  soon  found  to  be  the  natural  instru- 
ments of  triumph  in  a  war  of  the  passions ;  and  the  more  re- 
lentless atrocity  carries  the  day,  until  selfishness — the  mother 
of  treachery,  rapine,  and  carnage — is  the  paramount  principle. 
Then  the  nation  perishes,  or  is  sent  forth  in  madness  and  mis- 
ery, an  object  of  terror  and  infection,  to  propagate  evil  through 
the  world. 

The  very  features  of  the  popular  physiognomy  were  changed. 
The  natural  vividness  of  the  countenance  was  there,  but  hard- 

355 


Cbou  GUI  1  Come 


Ubc  TEirecfes  ened  by  habitual  ferocity.  I  was  surrounded  by  a  multitude, 
in  each  of  whom  I  was  compelled  to  see  the  assassin.  The 
keen  eye  scowled  with  cruelty ;  the  cheek  wore  the  alternate 
flush  and  paleness  of  desperate  thoughts.  The  hurried  gath- 
erings, the  quick  quarrel,  the  loud  blasphemy,  toldnie  the  in- 
furiate temper  that  had  fallen,  for  the  last  curse,  on  Jerusa- 
lem. Scarcely  a  man  passed  me  of  whom  I  could  not  have 
said :  "  There  goes  one  from  a  murder  or  to  a  murder. " 

But  even  more  open  evidences  startled  me,  accustomed  as  I 
was  to  scenes  of  military  violence.  I  saw  men  stabbed  in 
familiar  greetings  in  the  streets;  mansions  set  on  fire  and 
burned  in  the  face  of  day,  with  their  inmates  screaming  for 
help,  and  yet  unhelped ;  hundreds  slain  in  rabble  tumults,  of 
which  no  one  knew  the  origin.  The  streets  were  covered  with 
the  wrecks  of  pillage,  sumptuous  furniture  plundered  from  the 
mansions  of  the  great,  and  plundered  for  the  mere  love  of 
ruin;  mingled  with  the  more  hideous  wrecks  of  man — un- 
buried  bodies,  left  to  whiten  in  the  blast  or  to  be  torn  by  the 
dogs. 

Three  factions  divided  Jerusalem,  even  while  the  Roman 
battering-rams  were  shaking  her  colossal  towers ;  three  armies 
fought  night  and  day  within  the  city.  Streets  undermined, 
houses  battered  down,  granaries  burned,  wells  poisoned,  the 
perpetual  shower  of  death  upon  each  other  from  the  roofs, 
made  the  external  hostility  trivial ;  and  the  Romans  required 
only  patience  to  have  been  bloodless  masters  of  a  city  which 
yet  they  would  have  found  only  a  tomb  of  its  people. 

I  wandered  day  by  day,  an  utter  stranger,  through  Jerusa- 
lem. All  the  familiar  faces  were  gone.  At  an  early  period 
of  the  war,  many  of  the  higher  ranks,  foreseeing  the  event, 
had  left  the  city;  at  a  later,  my  victory  over  Cestius,  by 
driving  back  the  enemy,  had  given  a  free  passage  to  a  crowd 
of  others.  It  was  at  that  time  remarked  that  the  crowd  were 
chiefly  Christians,  and  a  singular  prophecy  of  their  Master  was 
declared  to  be  the  warning  of  their  escape.  It  is  certain  that 
of  His  followers,  including  many  even  of  our  priests  and 
learned  men,  scarcely  one  remained."  They  said  that  the  evil 
day,  menaced  by  the  divine  Wisdom,  through  Moses  (may 

356 


i.  * 


Cbcu  Cill  1  Come 


ene<; 

in  each  of  whom  1  was  < 

keen  eye  scowled  with  cruelty;  th 

flush  and  pa! 

eriugs,  the  quick 

furiate  temper  thi 

lem.     Scarcely  a 

"There  go  or  to  a  i; 

But  even  n,. 
was  to  }- 

familiar  greetings   in 
burned  in  tl,  day,  wi 

help,  an<l  yet  unhelped  ;   ! 
wh  ieh  no  one  knew  the  ori  gi  1 1 .     Tl  i  • 

tne  um';  is  furniture  plum!* 

mansions  of 

rum;  mingle 
buried  bodies, 
dogs. 

Three  factions  divid 
battering-rai; 
fought  night  and  day 
houses  battered  d- 
I-..M-P,  tual   show.. 

Ml       .-      !hf>    •-,',        •;, 
tj.'  ;-     v>  •.;/,.;    h:l 

''  er,  tl 

>f  the  h 

.  ;  at  a  1; 
enemy,  }i.: 
is  at  that  i 
arid 
•  -miing  of  th 

.        :|«    il 

•     •          :  rei 

',.  ough 


Copyright,  1901,  by  Funk  &  W  agnails  Company,  N.  Y.  and  Lond 


•r 


IReign  of  tbc  SworD 


he  rest  in  glory!)  was  come;  that  the  death  of  their  Master      Salatbfel 
was  the  consummate  crime ;  and  that  the  Romans,  the  pre-     p°8  r°p  3C8 
dieted  nation  of  destroyers,  the  people  "of  a  strange  speech," 
flying  on  "eagle  wings  from  the  ends  of  the  earth,"  were  al- 
ready commissioned  against  a  land  stained  with  the  blood  of 
the  Messiah. 

Fatally  was  the  word  of  the  great  prophet  of  Israel  accom- 
plished ;  fearfully  fell  the  sword,  to  smite  away  root  and 
branch ;  solemnly,  and  by  a  hand  which  scorned  the  strength 
of  man,  was  the  deluge  of  ruin  let  loose  against  the  throne  of 
David.  And  still  through  almost  two  thousand  years,  the 
flood  of  desolation  is  at  the  *  all ;  no  mountain-top  is  seen  ri- 
sing above ;  no  spot  is  left  clear  for  the  sole  of  the  Jewish 
foot;  no  dove  returns  with  the  olive. 

Eternal  King,  shall  this  be  forever?  Wilt  Thou  utterly  re- 
ject the  children  of  him  whom  thy  right  hand  brought  from 
the  land  of  the  idolater?  Wilt  Thou  forever  hide  Thy  glory 
from  the  tribes  whom  it  led  through  the  burning  wilderness? 
Wilt  Thou  never  raise  the  broken  kingdom  of  Thy  servant 
Israel?  Still  we  wander  in  darkness,  the  tenants  of  a  prison, 
whose  chains  we  feel  at  every  step;  the  scoff  of  the  idolater, 
the  captive  of  the  infidel.  Have  we  not  abided  without  king 
or  priest,  or  ephod  or  teraphim,  "  many  days  " — when  are 
those  days  to  be  at  an  end? 

Yet  is  not  the  captivity  at  last  about  to  close?  Is  not  the 
trumpet  at  the  lip  to  summon  Thy  chosen?  Are  not  the 
broken  tribes  now  awaiting  but  Thy  command  to  come  from 
the  desert,  from  the  dungeon,  from  the  mine,  like  the  light 
from  darkness?  I  gaze  upon  the  stars  and  think,  countless 
and  glorious  as  they  are,  such  shall  yet  be  thy  multitude  and 
thy  splendor,  people  of  the  undone!  The  promise  of  the 
King  of  Kings  is  fulfilling,  and  even  now,  to  my  withered 
eyes,  to  my  struggling  prayer,  to  the  deeper  agonies  of  a  sup- 
plication that  no  tongue  can  utter,  there  is  a  vision  and  an 
answer.  On  the  flint,  worn  by  kneeling,  I  hear  the  midnight 
voice;  and  weeping,  wait  for  the  day  that  will  come, 
tho  heaven  and  earth  shall  pass  away. 

357 


CHAPTER  XLVI 
A  Cry  of  Wo 

tibe  MY  first  obiect  was  to  ascertain  the  fate  of  my  family. 

Scvaetatfon  of  J.  lni  -,  •          P        •,  •          * 

Jerusalem     rrom  Constantms  1  could,  learn  nothing,  for  the  severity  of 

his  wound  had.  reduced  him  to  such  a  state  that  he  recognized 
no  one.  I  sat  by  him  day  after  day,  watching  with  bitter 
solicitude  for  the  return  of  his  senses.  He  raved  continually 
of  his  wife,  and  of  every  other  name  that  I  loved.  The  af- 
fecting eloquence  of  his  appeals  sometimes  plunged  me  into 
the  deepest  depression — sometimes  drove  me  out  to  seek  relief 
from  them,  even  in  the  horrors  of  the  streets.  I  was  the  most 
solitary  of  men.  In  those  melancholy  wanderings,  none  spoke 
to  me ;  I  spoke  to  none.  The  kinsmen  whom  I  had  left  under 
the  command  of  my  brave  son  were  slain  or  dispersed,  and  on 
the  night  when  I  saw  him  warring  with  his  native  ardor,  the 
men  whom  he  led  to  the  foot  of  the  rampart  were  an  acci- 
dental band,  excited  by  his  brilliant  intrepidity  to  choose  him 
at  the  instant  for  their  captain.  In  sorrow,  indeed,  had  I 
entered  Jerusalem. 

The  devastation  of  the  city  was  enormous  during  its  tu- 
mults. The  great  factions  were  reduced  to  two,  but  in  the 
struggle  a  large  portion  of  the  Temple  had  been  burned. 
The  stately  chambers  of  the  priests  were  dust  and  embers. 
The  cloisters  which  surrounded  the  sanctuary  were  beaten 
down  or  left  naked  to  the  visitation  of  the  seasons,  which 
now,  as  by  the  peculiar  wrath  of  heaven,  had  assumed  a  fierce 
and  ominous  inclemency.  Tremendous  bursts  of  tempest  con- 
stantly shook  the  city,  and  the  popular  mind  was  kept  in  per- 
petual alarm  at  the  accidents  which  followed  those  storms. 
Fires  were  frequently  caused  by  the  lightning;  deluges  of  rain 
flooded  the  streets,  and  falling  on  the  shattered  roofs,  increased 
the  misery  of  their  famishing  inhabitants ;  the  sudden  severity 

358 


a  Crg  ot  TRflo 

of  winter  in  the  midst  of  spring  added  to  the  sufferings  of  a   H  "Cinfvergal 
people  doubly  unprovided  to  encounter  it,  by  its  unexpected- 
ness and  by  their  necessary  exposure  on  the  battlements  and 
in  the  field. 

Within  the  walls  all  bore  the  look  of  a  grave,  and  even  that 
grave  shaken  by  some  great  convulsion  of  nature.  From  the 
battlements  the  sight  was  absolute  despair.  The  Roman 
camps  covered  the  hills,  and  we  could  see  the  soldiery  sharp- 
ening the  very  lances  that  were  to  drink  our  blood.  The  fires 
of  their  night-watches  lighted  up  the  horizon  round.  We 
hourly  heard  the  sound  of  their  trumpets  and  their  shouts, 
as  the  sheep  in  the  fold  might  hear  the  roaring  of  the  lion 
and  the  tiger,  ready  to  leap  their  feeble  boundary.  Yet  the 
valor  of  the  people  was  never  wearied  out.  The  vast  mound, 
whose  circle  was  to  shut  us  up  from  the  help  of  man  or  the 
hope  of  escape,  was  the  grand  object  of  attack  and  defense ; 
and  tho  thousands  of  my  countrymen  covered  the  ground 
at  its  foot  with  their  corpses,  the  Jew  was  still  ready  to 
rush  on  the  Roman  spear.  This  valor  was  spontaneous,  for 
subordination  had  long  been  at  an  end.  The  names  of  John 
of  Giscala,  and  Simon,  influential  as  they  were  in  the  earlier 
periods  of  the  war,  had  lost  their  force  in  the  civil  fury  and 
desperate  pressures  of  the  siege.  No  leaders  were  acknowl- 
edged but  hatred  of  the  enemy,  iron  fortitude,  and  a  deter- 
mination not  to  survive  the  fall  of  Jerusalem ! 

In  this  furious  warfare  I  took  my  share  with  the  rest; 
handled  the  spear,  and  fought  and  watched  without  thinking 
of  any  distinction  of  rank.  My  military  experience,  and  the 
personal  strength  which  enabled  me  to  render  prominent  serv- 
ices in  those  desultory  attacks,  often  excited  our  warriors  to 
offer  me  the  command ;  but  ambition  was  dead  within  me. 

I  was  one  day  sitting  beside  the  bed  of  Constantius,  and 
bitterly  absorbed  in  gazing  on  what  I  thought  the  progress  of 
death,  when  I  heard  a  universal  outcry,  more  melancholy  than 
human  voices  seemed  ever  made  to  utter.  My  first  thought 
was  that  the  enemy  had  forced  the  gates.  I  took  my  sword 
down  and  prepared  to  go  out  and  die.  I  found  the  streets 
filled  with  crowds  hurrying  forward  without  any  apparent 

359 


tTbou  trill  1  Come 


TOO,  TOO,  TOO  direction,  but  all  exhibiting  a  sorrow  amounting  to  agony ; 
wringing  their  hands,  beating  their  bosoms,  tearing  their  hair, 
and  casting  dust  and  ashes  on  their  heads.  A  large  body  of 
the  priesthood  came  rushing  from  the  temple  with  loud 
lamentations.  The  DAILY  SACRIFICE  had  ceased! 4S  The  per- 
petual offering,  which,  twice  a  day,  burned  in  testimonial  of 
the  sins  and  the  expiation  of  Israel,  the  peculiar  homage  of 
the  nation  to  Heaven,  was  no  more !  The  siege  had  extin- 
guished the  resources  of  the  Temple ;  the  victims  could  no 
longer  be  supplied,  and  the  people  must  perish  without  the 
power  of  atonement !  This  was  the  final  cutting  off — the  dec- 
laration of  the  sentence — the  seal  of  the  great  condemnation. 
Jerusalem  was  undone! 

Overpowered  by  this  fatal  sign,  I  was  sadly  returning  to 
my  worse  than  solitary  chamber,  for  there  lay,  speechless  and 
powerless,  the  noblest  creature  that  breathed  in  Jerusalem — 
when  I  was  driven  aside  by  a  new  torrent  of  the  people,  ex- 
claiming "The  prophet!  the  prophet!  wo  to  the  city  of 
David!" 

They  rushed  on  in  haggard  multitudes,  and  in  the  midst  of 
them  came  a  maniac  bounding  and  gesticulating  with  inde- 
scribable wildness.  His  constant  exclamation  was  "Wo! 
— wo ! — wo !  "  uttered  in  a  tone  that  searched  the  very 
heart.  He  stopped  from  time  to  time,  flung  out  some  denun- 
ciation against  the  popular  crimes,  and  then  recommenced  his 
cry  of  "Wo!  "  and  bounded  forward  again. 

He  at  length  came  opposite  to  the  spot  where  I  stood,  and 
his  features  struck  me  as  resembling  those  I  had  seen  before. 
But  they  were  full  of  a  strange  impulse — the  grandeur  of  in- 
spiration mingled  with  the  animal  fierceness  of  frenzy.  The 
eye  shot  fire  under  the  sharp  and  hollow  brows ;  the  nostrils- 
contracted  and  opened  like  those  of  an  angry  steed,  and  every 
muscle  of  a  singularly  elastic  frame  was  quivering  and  exposed 
from  the  effects  alike  of  mental  violence  and  famine. 

"Ho,  Prince  of  Naphtali!  we  meet  at  last!"  was  his  in- 
stant outcry.  His  countenance  fell,  and  tears  gushed  from 
lids  that  looked  incapable  of  a  human  feeling.  "I  found 
her,"  said  he,  "my  beauty,  my  bride!  She  was  in  the  dun- 

860 


a  ere  of 


geon.     The  ring  that  I  tore  fiom  that  villain's  finger  was     Sabat  the 
worth  a  gold-mine,  for  it  opened  the  gates  of  her  prison. 
Come  forth,  girl  !  " 

With  these  words  he  caught  by  the  hand  and  led  to  me  a 
pale  creature,  with  the  traces  of  loveliness,  but  evidently  in 
the  last  stage  of  mortal  decay.  She  stood  silent  as  a  statue. 
In  compassion,  I  took  her  hand,  while  the  multitude  gathered 
round  us  in  curiosity.  I  now  remembered  Sabat,  the  Ishmael- 
ite,  and  his  story. 

"She  is  mad,"  said  Sabat,  shaking  his  head  mournfully, 
and  gazing  011  the  fading  form  at  his  side.  "Worlds  would 
not  restore  her  senses.  But  there  is  a  time  for  all  things." 
He  sighed,  and  cast  his  large  eyes  on  heaven.  "  I  watched 
her  day  and  night,"  he  went  on,  "until  I  grew  mad  too.  But 
the  world  will  have  an  end,  and  then  —  all  will  be  well. 
Come,  wife,  we  must  be  going.  To-night  there  are  strange 
things  within  the  walls,  and  without  the  walls.  There  will 
be  feasting  and  mourning  ;  there  will  be  blood  and  tears  ;  then 
comes  the  famine  —  then  comes  the  fire  —  then  the  sword;  and 
then  all  is  quiet,  and  forever  !  " 

He  paused,  wiped  away  the  tears,  then  began  again  wilder 
than  ever  :  "  Heaven  is  mighty  !  To-night  there  will  be  won- 
ders ;  watch  well  your  walls,  people  of  the  ruined  city  !  To- 
night there  will  be  signs;  let  no  man  sleep  but  those  who 
sleep  in  the  grave.  Prince  of  Naphtali,  have  you  too  sworn, 
as  I  have,  to  die?"  He  lifted  his  meager  hand.  "Come, 
thunders  !  come,  fires  !  vengeance  cries  from  the  sanctuary. 
Listen,  undone  people  !  listen,  nation  of  sorrow  !  the  ministers 
of  wrath  are  on  the  wing.  Wo!  —  wo!  —  wo!  " 

In  pronouncing  those  words  with  a  voice  of  the  most  sonor- 
ous yet  melancholy  power,  he  threw  himself  into  a  succession 
of  strange  and  fearful  gestures  ;  then  beckoning  to  the  female, 
who  submissively  followed  his  steps,  plunged  away  among  the 
multitude.  I  heard  the  howl  of  "Wo!  —  wo!  —  wo!"  long 
echoed  through  the  windings  of  the  ruined  streets,  and 
thought  that  I  heard  the  voice  of  the  angel  of  desolation. 


361 


CHAPTER  XLVH 

The  Struggle  for  Supremacy 

Cb« :  Sidmeaa  THE  seventeenth  day  of  the  month  Tamuz,  ever  memorable 
in  the  sufferings  of  Israel,  was  the  last  of  the  Daily  Sacrifice. 
Sorrow  and  fear  were  on  the  city,  and  the  silence  of  the  night 
was  broken  by  the  lamentations  of  the  multitude.  I  returned 
to  my  chamber  of  affliction,  and  busied  myself  in  preparing 
for  the  guard  of  the  Temple,  to  withdraw  my  mind  from  the 
gloom  that  was  beginning  to  master  me.  Yet  when  I  looked 
round  the  room,  and  thought  of  what  I  had  been,  of  the  opu- 
lent enjoyments  of  my  palace,  and  of  the  beloved  faces  which 
surrounded  me  there,  I  felt  the  sickness  of  the  heart. 

The  chilling  air  that  blew  through  the  dilapidated  walls, 
the  cruse  of  water,  the  scanty  bread,  the  glimmering  lamp, 
the  comfortless  and  squalid  bed,  on  which  lay  in  the  last 
stages  of  weakness  a  patriot  and  a  hero— a  being  full  of  fine 
affections  and  abilities,  reduced  to  the  helplessness  of  an  in- 
fant, and  whom  in  leaving  for  the  night  I  might  be  leaving 
to  perish  by  the  poniard  of  the  robber — unmanned  me.  I 
cast  the  simitar  from  my  hand,  and  sat  down  with  a  sullen 
determination  there  to  linger  until  death,  or  that  darker  ven- 
geance which  haunted  me,  should  do  its  will. 

The  night  was  stormy,  and  the  wind  howled  in  long  and 
bitter  gusts  through  the  deserted  chambers  of  the  huge  man- 
sion. But  the  mind  is  the  true  place  of  suffering,  and  I  felt 
the  season's  visitation  in  my  locks  drenched  about  my  face, 
and  my  tattered  robes  swept  by  the  freezing  blasts,  as  only 
the  natural  course  of  things. 

I  was  sitting  by  the  bedside,  moistening  the  fevered  lips  of 
Constantius  with  water,  and  pressing  on  him  the  last  frag- 
ment of  bread  which  I  might  ever  have  to  give,  when  I,  with 
sudden  delight,  heard  him  utter  for  the  first  time  articulate 

362 


Struggle  for  Supremacy 


souuds.     I  stooped  to  catch  accents  so  dear  and  full  of  hope.  Ube  prater  of 
But  the  words  were  a  supplication — he  prayed  to  the  Chris- 
tian's God! 

I  turned  away  from  this  resistless  conviction  of  his  belief. 
But  this  was  no  time  for  debate,  and  I  was  won  to  listen 
again.  His  voice  was  scarcely  above  a  whisper,  but  his  lan- 
guage was  the  aspiration  of  the  heart.  His  eyes  were  closed, 
and,  evidently  unconscious  of  my  presence,  in  his  high  com- 
munion with  Heaven,  he  talked  of  things  of  which  I  had  but 
imperfect  knowledge  or  none ;  of  blood  shed  for  the  sins  of 
man ;  of  a  descended  Spirit  to  guide  the  servants  of  Heaven ; 
of  the  unspeakable  love  that  gave  the  Son  of  God  to  mortal 
suffering  for  the  atonement  of  that  human  guilt  which  nothing 
but  such  a  sacrifice  could  atone.  He  finished  by  the  names 
dear  to  us  both ;  and  praying  "  for  their  safety  if  they  still 
were  in  life,  or  for  their  meeting  beyond  the  grave,  declared 
himself  resigned  to  the  will  of  his  Lord." 

I  waited  in  sacred  awe  until  I  saw,  by  the  subsiding  motion 
of  the  lipsj  that  the  prayer  was  done,  and  then,  anxious  to 
gain  information  of  my  family,  questioned  him.  But  with 
the  prayer  the  interval  of  mental  power  had  passed  away. 
The  veil  was  drawn  over  his  senses  once  more,  and  his  an- 
swers were  unintelligible.  Yet  even  the  hope  of  his  restoration 
lightened  my  gloom ;  my  spirits,  naturally  elastic,  shook  off 
their  leaden  weight ;  I  took  up  the  simitar,  and  pressing  the 
cold  hand  of  my  noble  fellow  victim,  prepared  to  issue  forth 
to  the  Temple.  The  storm  was  partially  gone,  and  the  moon, 
approaching  to  the  full,  was  high  in  heaven,  fighting  her  way 
through  masses  of  rapid  cloud.  The  wind  still  roared  in  long 
blasts,  as  the-  tempest  retired,  like  an  army  repulsed,  and  in- 
dignant at  being  driven  from  the  spoil.  But  the  ground  was 
deluged,  and  a  bitter  sleet  shot  on  our  half -naked  bodies.  I 
had  far  to  pass  through  the  streets  of  the  upper  city,  and 
their  aspect  was  deeply  suited  to  the  melancholy  of  the  hour. 

Vast  walls  and  buttresses  of  the  burned  and  overthrown 
mansions  remained,  that  in  the  spectral  light  looked  like 
gigantic  specters.  Ranges  of  inferior  ruins  stretched  to  the 
utmost  glance ;  some  yet  sending  up  the  smoke  of  recent  con- ' 

363 


Gbou  Gill  f  Come 


•Zbc  nvenuea  flagration,  and  others  beaten  down  by  the  storms  or  left  to 
decay.  The  immense  buildings  of  the  hierarchy,  once  the 
scene  of  all  but  kingly  magnificence,  stood  roofless  and  win- 
dowless,  with  the  light  sadly  gleaming  through  their  fissures, 
and  the  wind  singing  a  dirge  of  ruin  through  their  halls.  I 
scarcely  met  a  human  being,  for  the  sword  and  famine  had 
fearfully  reduced  the  once  countless  population. 

But  I  often  startled  a  flight  of  vultures  from  their  meal ;  or, 
in  the  sinking  of  the  light,  stumbled  upon  a  heap  that  uttered 
a  cry,  and  showed  that  life  was  there ;  or  from  his  horrid  mor- 
sel, a  wretch  glared  upon  me,  as  one  wolf  might  glare  upon 
another,  that  came  to  rob  him  of  his  prey ;  or  the  twinkling 
of  a  miserable  lamp  in  the  corner  of  a  ruin  glimmered  over  a 
knot  of  felony  and  murder,  reckoning  their  hideous  gains  and 
carousing  with  the  dagger  drawn.  Heaps  of  bones,  whitening 
in  the  air,  were  the  monuments  of  the  wasted  valor  of  my 
countrymen,  and  the  oppressive  atmosphere  gave  the  sensa- 
tion of  walking  in  a  sepulcher. 

I  dragged  my  limbs  with  increased  difficulty  through  those 
long  avenues  of  death  that,  black,  silent,  and  split  into  a 
thousand  shapes  of  ruin,  looked  less  like  the  streets  of  a  city 
than  the  rocky  defiles  of  a  mountain  shattered  by  lightnings 
and  earthquakes.  On  the  summit  of  the  hill  I  found  a  crowd 
of  unhappy  beings,  who  came,  like  myself,  actuated  by  zeal  to 
defend  the  Temple  from  the  insults  to  which  its  sanctity  was 
now  nightly  exposed.  Faction  had  long  extinguished  the  na- 
tive homage  of  the  people.  Battles  had  been  fought  within 
its  walls,  and  many  a  corpse  loaded  the  sacred  floors,  that 
once  would  have  required  solemn  ceremonies  to  free  them 
from  the  pollution  of  an  unlicensed  step. 

And  what  a  band  was  assembled  there !  Wretches  muti- 
lated by  wounds,  worn  with  sleeplessness,  haggard  with  want 
of  food;  shivering  together  on  the  declivity,  whose  naked 
elevation  exposed  them  to  the  whole  inclemency  of  the  night; 
flung  like  the  dead,  on  the  ground,  or  gathered  in  little  knots 
among  the  ruined  porticos,  with  death  in  every  frame  and 
despair  in  every  heart. 

I  was  sheltering  myself  behind  the  broken  columns  of  the 

364 


Struggle  for  Supremacg 


Grand  gate,  from  the  bitter  wind  which  searched  every  fiber,  Saiatbtei  ufew« 
and  was  sinking  into  that  chilling  torpor  which  benumbs  body  pomp  of  war 
and  mind  alike,  when  a  clash  of  military  music  and  the  tramp 
of  a  multitude  assailed  my  ear.  I  started  up  and  found  my 
miserable  companions  mustered,  from  the  various  hollows  of 
the  hill,  to  our  post  on  the  central  ground  of  Mount  Moriah, 
whence  the  view  was  boundless  on  every  side.  A  growing 
blaze  rose  up  from  the  valley  and  flashed  upon  the  wall  of 
circumvallation.  The  sounds  of  cymbal  and  trumpet  swelled ; 
the  light  advanced  rapidly ;  and  going  the  circuit  of  the  wall, 
helmets  and  lances  of  the  cavalry  were  seen  glittering  through 
the  gloom ;  a  crowd  of  archers  preceded  a  dense  body  of  the 
legionary  horse,  at  whose  head  rode  a  group  of  officers.  On 
this  night  the  fatal  wall  had  been  completed,  and  Titus  was 
going  its  round  in  triumph.  Every  horseman  carried  a  torch, 
and  strong  divisions  of  infantry  followed,  bearing  lamps  and 
vessels  of  combustible  matter  on  the  points  of  their  spears. 
As  the  whole  moved,  rolling  and  bending  with  the  inequal- 
ities of  the  ground,  I  thought  that  I  saw  a  mighty  serpent, 
coiling  his  burning  spires  round  the  prey  that  was  never  to  be 
rescued  by  the  power  of  man. 

But  the  pomp  of  war  below  and  the  wretchedness  round 
me,  raised  reflections  of  such  bitterness  that  when  Titus  and 
his  splendid  troop  reached  the  mountain  of  the  Temple,  one 
outcry  of  sorrow  and  anticipated  ruin  burst  from  us  all.  The 
conqueror  heard  it,  and,  from  the  instant  maneuvering  of  his 
troops,  was  evidently  alarmed ;  he  had  known  the  courage  of 
the  Jews  too  long  not  to  dread  the  effect  of  their  despair. 
And  despair  it  was,  fierce  and  untamable ! 

I  started  forward,  exclaiming :  "  If  there  is  a  man  among 
you  ready  to  stake  his  life  for  his  country,  let  him  follow 
me." 

To  the  last  hour  the  Jew  was  a  warrior !  The  crowd  seized 
their  spears,  and  we  sprang  down  the  cliffs.  As  we  reached 
the  outer  wall  of  the  city,  I  restrained  their  exhaustless  spirit 
until  I  had  singly  ascertained  the  state  of  the  enemy.  Titus 
was  passing  the  well-known  ravine  near  the  fountain-gate, 
where  the  ground  was  difficult  for  cavalry,  from  its  being 

365 


Cbou  Gill  1F  Come 


•Cbe  -Roman  chiefly  divided  into  gardens.  I  flung  open  the  gate,  and  led 
the  way  to  the  circuinvallation.  The  sentinels,  occupied 
with  looking  on  the  pomp,  suffered  us  to  approach  unper- 
ceived ;  we  mounted  the  wall,  overthrew  everything  before  us, 
and  plunged  down  upon  the  cavalry,  entangled  in  the  ravine. 
It  was  a  complete  surprise. 

The  bravery  of  the  legions  was  not  proof  against  the  fury 
of  our  attack.  Even  our  wild  faces  and  half -naked  forms,  by 
the  uncertain  glare  of  the  torches,  looked  scarcely  human. 
Horse  and  man  rolled  down  the  declivity.  The  arrival  of 
fresh  troops  only  increased  the  confusion ;  their  torches  made 
them  a  mark  for  our  pikes  and  arrows ;  every  point  told,  and 
every  Roman  that  fell,  armed  a  Jew.  The  conflict  now  be- 
came murderous,  and  we  stabbed  at  our  ease  the  troopers  of 
the  Emperor's  guard,  through  their  mail,  while  their  long 
lances  were  useless. 

The  defile  gave  us  incalculable  advantages,  for  the  garden 
walls  were  impassable  by  the  cavalry,  while  we  bounded  over 
them  like  deer.  All  was  uproar,  terror,  and  rage.  We  act- 
ually waded  through  blood.  At  every  step,  I  trod  on  horse  or 
man ;  helmets  and  bucklers,  lances  and  armor,  lay  in  heaps, 
and  the  stream  of  the  ravine  soon  ran  purple  with  the  proud- 
est gore  of  the  legions. 

At  length,  while  we  were  absolutely  oppressed  with  the 
multitude  of  dead,  a  sudden  blast  of  trumpets  and  the  shouts 
of  the  enemy  led  me  to  prepare  for  a  still  fiercer  effort.  A 
tide  of  cavalry  poured  over  the  ground ;  Titus,  a  gallant  fig- 
ure, cheering  them  on,  with  his  helmet  in  his  hand,  galloped 
in  their  front ;  I  withdrew  my  wearied  followers  from  the  ex- 
posed situation  into  which  their  success  had  led  them,  and 
posting  them  behind  a  rampart  of  Roman  dead,  awaited  the 
charge.  It  came  with  the  force  of  thunder;  the  powerful 
horses  of  the  imperial  squadron  broke  over  our  rampart  at  the 
first  shock  and  bore  us  down  like  stubble.  Every  man  of  us 
was  under  their  feet  in  a  moment ;  and  yet  the  very  number 
of  our  assailants  saved  us.  The  narrowness  of  the  place  gave 
no  room  for  the  management  of  the  horse ;  the  darkness  as- 
sisted both  our  escape  and  assault;  and  even  lying  on  the 

366 


Struggle  for  Supremacy 


ground,  we  plunged  our  knives  in  horse  and  rider,  with  terrible      Saiatbfei 

,    T    ,.  Bttachs  -attue 

retaliation. 

The  cavalry  at  length  gave  way,  but  the  Eoman  general,  a 
man  of  the  heroic  spirit  that  is  only  inflamed  by  repulse, 
rushed  forward  among  the  disheartened  troops,  and  roused 
them  by  his  cries  and  gestures  to  retrieve  their  honor.  After 
a  few  bold  words,  he  again  charged  at  their  head.  I  singled 
him  out,  as  I  saw  his  golden  helmet  gleam  in  the  torch-light. 
To  capture  the  son  of  Vespasian  would  have  been  a  triumph 
worth  a  thousand  lives.  Titus 46  was  celebrated  for  personal 
dexterity  in  the  management  of  the  horse  and  lance,  and  I 
could  not  withhold  my  admiration  of  the  skill  with  which  he 
penetrated  the  difficulties  of  the  field,  and  the  mastery  with 
which  he  overthrew  all  that  opposed  him. 

Our  motley  ranks  were  already  scattering,  when  I  cried  out 
my  name  and  defied  him  to  the  combat.  He  stooped  over  his 
charger's  neck  to  discover  his  adversary,  and  seeing  before 
him  a  being  as  blackened  and  beggared  as  the  most  dismantled 
figure  of  the  crowd,  gave  a  laugh  of  fierce  derision,  and  was 
turning  away,  when  our  roar  of  scorn  recalled  him.  He 
struck  in  the  spur,  and  couching  his  lance,  bounded  toward 
me.  To  have  waited  his  attack  must  have  been  destruction ; 
I  sprang  aside,  and  with  my  full  vigor  flung  my  javelin ;  it 
went  through  his  buckler.  He  reeled,  and  a  groan  rose  from 
the  legionaries  who  were  rushing  forward  to  his  support.  He 
stopped  them  with  a  fierce  gesture,  and  casting  off  the  en- 
tangled buckler,  charged  again.  But  the  hope  of  the  imperial 
diadem  was  not  to  be  thus  cheaply  hazarded.  The  whole  circle 
of  cavalry  rolled  in  upon  us ;  I  was  dragged  down  by  a  hun- 
dred hands,  and  Titus  was  forced  away,  indignant  at  the  zeal 
which  had  thwarted  his  fiery  valor. 

In  the  confusion  I  was  forgotten,  burst  through  the  con- 
course, and  rejoined  my  countrymen,  who  had  given  me  over 
for  lost,  and  now  received  me  with  shouts  of  victory.  The 
universal  cry  was  to  advance,  but  I  felt  that  the  limit  of  tri- 
umph for  that  night  was  come ;  the  engagement  had  become 
known  to  the  whole  range  of  the  enemy's  camps,  and  troops 
without  number  were  already  pouring  down.  I  ordered  a  re- 

367 


Gbou  Gill  f  Come 


Cbc  iRampart's  treat,  but  there  was  one  remaining  exploit  to  make  the  night's 
Illumination  •  , -i 

service  memorable. 

Leaving  a  few  hundred  pikemen  outside  the  circuinvallation, 
to  keep  off  any  sudden  attempt,  I  set  every  hand  at  work  to 
gather  the  dry  weeds,  rushes,  and  fragments  of  trees  from 
the  low  grounds  into  a  pile.  It  was  laid  against  the  rampart. 
I  flung  the  first  torch,  and  pile  and  rampart  were  soon  alike 
in  a  blaze.  Volumes  of  flame,  carried  by  the  wind,  rolled 
round  its  entire  circuit.  The  Romans  rushed  down  in  multi- 
tudes to  extinguish  the  fire.  But  this  became  continually 
more  difficult.  Jerusalem  had  been  roused  from  its  sleep, 
and  the  extravagant  rumors  that  a  great  victory  was  obtained, 
Titus  slain,  and  the  enemy's  camp  taken  by  storm,  stimulated 
the  natural  spirit  of  the  people  to  the  most  boundless  confi- 
dence. Every  Jew  who  could  find  a  lance,  an  arrow,  or  a 
knife  hurried  to  the  gates,  and  the  space  between  the  walls 
and  the  circumvallation  was  crowded  with  an  army  which,  in 
that  crisis  of  superhuman  exultation,  perhaps  no  disciplined 
force  on  earth  could  have  outfought. 

Nothing  could  now  save  the  rampart.  Torches  innumer- 
able, piles  of  faggots,  arms,  even  the  dead,  'all  things  that 
could  burn,  were  flung  upon  it.  Thousands,  who  at  other 
times  might  have  shrunk,  forgot  the  name  of  fear,  leaped 
into  the  very  midst  of  the  flames,  and  tearing  up  the  bla- 
zing timbers,  dug  to  the  heart  of  the  rampart  and  filled 
the  hollows  with  sulfur  and  bitumen;  thousands  struggled 
across  the  tumbling  ruins,  to  throw  themselves  among  the 
Roman  spearsmen  and  see  the  blood  of  an  enemy  before 
they  died. 

War  never  had  a  bolder  moment.  Human  nature,  roused 
to  the  Avildest  height  of  enthusiasm,  was  lavishing  life  like 
dust.  The  ramparts  spread  a  horrid  light  upon  the  havoc ; 
every  spot  of  the  battle,  every  group  of  the  furious  living,  and 
the  trampled  and  deformed  dead,  was  keenly  visible.  The 
ear  was  deafened  by  the  incessant  roar  of  flame,  the  falling 
of  the  huge  heaps  of  the  rampart,  and  the  agonies  and  exulta- 
tions of  men,  reveling  in  mutual  slaughter. 

In  that  hour  came  one  of  those  solemn  signs  that  marked 

368 


Struggle  for  Supremacy 


the  downfall  of  Jerusalem.  The  tempest,  that  had  blown  at  Ube 
intervals  with  tremendous  violence,  died  away  at  once ;  and  a 
surge  of  light  ascended  from  the  horizon  and  rolled  up  rapidly 
to  the  zenith.  The  phenomenon  instantly  fixed  every  eye. 
There  was  an  indefinable  sense  in  the  general  mind  that  a  sign 
of  power  and  providence  was  about  to  be  given.  The  battle 
ceased ;  the  outcries  were  followed  by  utter  silence ;  the  armed 
ranks  stood  still,  in  the  very  act  of  rushing  on  each  other ;  all 
faces  were  turned  on  the  heavens. 

The  light  rose  pale  and  quivering  like  the  meteors  of  a  sum- 
mer evening.  But  in  the  zenith,  it  spread  and  swelled  into  a 
splendor  that  distinguished  it  irresistibly  from  the  wonders  of 
earth  or  air.  It  swiftly  eclipsed  every  star.  The  moon  van- 
ished before  it ;  the  canopy  of  the  sky  seemed  to  be  dissolved, 
for  a  view  into  a  bright  and  infinite  region  beyond,  fit  for  the 
career  of  those  mighty  beings  to  whom  man  is  but  the  dust  on 
the  gale. 

As  we  gazed,  this  boundless  field  was  transformed  into  a 
field  of  battle ;  multitudes  seemed  to  crowd  it  in  the  fiercest 
combat;  horsemen  charged  and  died  under  their  horses'  feet; 
armor  and  standards  were  trampled  in  blood ;  column  and  line 
burst  through  each  other.  At  length  the  battle  stooped  to- 
ward the  earth,  and  with  hearts  beating  with  indescribable 
feelings  we  recognized  in  the  fight  the  banners  of  the  tribes. 
It  was  Jew  and  Romaa  struggling  for  life ;  the  very  counte- 
nances of  the  combatants  became  visible,  and  each  man  below 
saw  a  representative  of  himself  above.  The  fate  of  Jewish 
war  was  there  written  by  the  hand  of  Heaven ;  the  fate  of 
the  individual  was  there  predicted  in  the  individual  triumph 
or  fall.  What  tongue  of  man  can  tell  the  intense  interest 
with  which  we  watched  every  blow,  every  movement,  every 
wound,  of  those  images  of  ourselves? 

The  light  now  illumined  the  whole  horizon  below.  The 
legions  were  seen  drawn  out  in  front  of  the  camps,  ready  for 
action — every  helmet  and  spear-point  glittering  in  the  radi- 
ance ;  every  face  turned  up,  gazing  in  awe  and  terror  on  the 
sky.  The  tents  spreading  over  the  hills ;  the  thousands  and 
tens  of  thousands  of  auxiliaries  and  captives ;  the  little  groups 

2i  369 


Carrg  Gbou  GUI  H  Come 


B  s>rea5»fui  of  the  peasantry,  roused  from  sleep  by  the  uproar  of  the 
night,  and  gathered  upon  the  knolls  and  eminences  of  their 
fields — all  were  bathed  in  a  flood  of  preternatural  luster. 
But  the  wondrous  battle  approached  its  close.  The  vision- 
ary Romans  seemed  to  shake,  column  and  cohort  gave  way, 
and  the  banners  of  the  tribes  waved  in  victory  over  the 
celestial  field.  Then  human  voices  dared  to  be  heard.  From 
the  city  and  the  plain  burst  forth  one  mighty  shout  of 
triumph ! 

But  our  presumption  was  soon  to  be  checked.  A  peal  of 
thunder  that  made  the  very  ground  tremble  under  our  feet 
rolled  from  the  four  quarters  of  the  heaven.  The  conquering 
host  shook,  broke,  and  fled  in  utter  confusion  over  the  sap- 
phire field.  It  was  pursued,  but  by  no  semblance  of  the 
Roman. 

An  awful  enemy  was  on  its  steps.  Flashes  of  forked  fire, 
like  myriads  of  lances,  darted  after  it;  cloud  on  cloud  deep- 
ened down,  as  the  smoke  of  a  mighty  furnace ;  globes  of  light 
shot  blasting  and  burning  along  its  track.  Then  amid  the 
double  roar  of  thunder  rushed  forth  the  chivalry  of  heaven. 
Shapes  of  transcendent  beauty,  yet  with  looks  of  wrath  that 
withered  the  human  eye — armed  sons  of  immortality  descend- 
ing on  the  wing  by  millions — mingled  with  shapes  and  instru- 
ments of  ruin,  for  which  the  mind  has  no  conception.  The 
circle  of  the  heaven  was  filled  with  the  chariots  and  horses  of 
fire.  Flight  was  in  vain ;  the  weapons  were  seen  to  drop  from 
the  Jewish  host ;  their  warriors  sank  upon  the  splendid  field. 
Still  the  immortal  armies  poured  on,  trampling  and  blasting, 
until  the  last  of  the  routed  were  consumed. 

The  angry  pomp  then  paused.  Countless  wings  were 
spread,  and  the  angelic  multitudes,  having  done  the  work  of 
vengeance,  rushed  upward,  with  the  sound  of  ocean  in  the 
storm.  The  roar  of  trumpets  and  thunders  was  heard,  until 
the  splendor  was  lost  in  the  heights  of  the  empyrean. 

We  felt  the  terrible  warning.  Our  strength  was  dried  up 
at  the  sight ;  despair  seized  upon  our  souls.  We  had  seen  the 
fate  of  Jerusalem.  No  victory  over  man  could  now  save  us 
from  the  coming  of  final  ruin ! 

37Q 


Struggle  for  Supremacy 


Thousands  never  left  the  ground  on  which  they  stood ;  they 
perished  by  their  own  hands,  or  lay  down  and  died  of  broken 
hearts.  The  rest  fled  through  the  night,  that  again  wrapped 
them  in  tenfold  darkness.  The  whole  multitude  scattered 
with  soundless  steps,  and  in  silence  like  an  army  of  specters. 


371 


CHAPTER  XLVm 

The  Sting  of  a.  Story 

in  IN  the  deepest  defection  that  could  overwhelm  the  human 

tbc  Etarhneas       .     ..    T  • 

of  -wujbt      mind,  I  returned  to  the  city,  where  one  melancholy  care  still 

bound  me  to  existence.  I  hastened  to  my  comfortless  shelter, 
but  the  battle  had  fluctuated  so  far  around  the  walls  that  I 
found  myself  perplexed,  among  the  ruins  of  a  portion  of  the 
lower  city,  a  crowd  of  obscure  streets  which  belonged  almost 
wholly  to  strangers  and  the  poorer  population. 

The  faction  of  John  of  Giscala,  composed  chiefly  of  the 
more  profligate  and  beggared  class,  had  made  the  lower  city 
their  stronghold,  before  they  became  masters  of  Mount  Moriah ; 
and  some  desperate  skirmishes,  of  which  conflagrations  were 
the  perpetual  consequence,  laid  waste  the  principal  part  of  a 
district  built  and  ruined  by  the  haste  and  carelessness  of 
poverty.  To  find  a  guide  through  this  scene  of  dilapidation 
was  hopeless,  for  every  living  creature,  terrified  by  the  awful 
portents  of  the  sky,  had  fled  from  the  streets.  The  night 
was  solid  darkness.  No  expiring  gleam  from  the  burned  ram- 
part, no  fires  of  the  Roman  camps,  no  torch  on  the  Jewish 
battlements,  broke  the  pitchy  blackness.  Life  and  light 
seemed  to  have  perished  together. 

To  proceed  soon  became  impossible,  and  I  had  no  other 
resource  than  to  wait  the  coming  of  day.  But  to  one  accus- 
tomed as  I  was  to  hardships,  this  inconvenience  was  trivial. 
I  felt  my  way  along  the  walls,  to  the  entrance  of  a  house  that 
promised  some  protection  from  the  night,  and  flinging  myself 
into  a  corner,  vainly  tried  to  slumber.  But  the  rising  of  the 
storm  and  the  rain  pouring  upon  my  lair  drove  me  to  seek  a 
more  sheltered  spot  within  the  ruin.  The  destruction  was 
so  effectual  that  this  was  difficult  to  discover,  and  I  was  hope- 
lessly returning  to  take  my  chance  in  the  open  air  when  I 

372 


Sting  of  a  Storg 


observed  the  glimmer  of  a  lamp  through  a  crevice  in  the  upper  »  Sutoen 
part  of  the  building.  My  first  impulse  was  to  approach  and 
obtain  assistance.  But  the  abruptness  of  the  ascent  gave  me 
time  to  consider  the  hazard  of  breaking  in  upon  such  groups 
as  might  be  gathered  at  that  hour,  in  a  period  when  every 
atrocity  under  heaven  reigned  in  Jerusalem. 

My  patience  was  put  to  but  brief  trial,  for  in  a  few  min- 
utes I  heard  a  low  hymn.  It  paused,  as  if  followed  by 
prayer.  The  hymn  began  again,  in  accents  so  faint  as  evi- 
dently to  express  the  fear  of  the  worshipers.  But  the 
sounds  thrilled  through  my  soul.  I  listened,  in  a  struggle  of 
doubt  and  hope.  Could  I  be  deceived?  and  if  I  were,  how 
bitter  must  be  the  discovery.  I  sat  down  at  the  foot  of  the 
rude  stair,  to  feed  myself  with  the  fancied  delight  before  it 
should  be  snatched  from,  me  forever. 

But  iny  perturbation  would  have  risen  to  madness  had  I 
stopped  longer.  I  climbed  up  the  tottering  steps ;  half-way  I 
found  myself  obstructed  by  a  door;  I  struck  upon  it,  and 
called  aloud.  After  an  interval  of  miserable  delay,  a  still 
higher  door  was  opened,  and  a  figure  enveloped  in  a  veil 
timidly  looked  out  and  asked  my  purpose.  I  saw,  glancing 
over  her,  two  faces  that  I  would  have  given  the  world  to  see. 
I  called  out  "  Miriam ! "  Overpowered  with  emotion,  my 
speech  failed  me.  I  lived  only  in  my  eyes.  I  saw  Miriam 
fling  off  the  mantle  with  a  scream  of  joy,  and  rush  down  the 
steps.  I  saw  my  two  daughters  follow  her  with  the  speed  of 
love ;  the  door  was  thrown  open,  and  I  fell  fainting  into  their 
arms. 

Tears,  exclamations,  and  gazings  were  long  our  only  lan- 
guage. My  wife  hung  over  my  wasted  frame  with  endless 
embraces  and  sobs  of  joy.  My  daughters  fell  at  my  feet, 
bathed  my  cold  hands  with  their  tears,  smiled  on  me  in 
speechless  delight,  and  then  wept  again.  They  had  thought 
me  lost  to  them  forever.  I  had  thought  them  dead,  or 
driven  to  some  solitude  which  forbade  us  to  meet  again  on 
this  side  of  the  grave.  For  two  years,  two  dreadful  years, 
a  lonely  man  on  earth,  a  wifeless  husband,  a  childless  fa- 
ther, tried  by  every  misery  of  mind  and  body ;  here — here  I 

373 


Gbou  vEill  1  Come 


irbe  Uerror  found  my  treasure  once  more !  On  this  spot,  wretched  and 
B  destitute  as  it  was,  in  the  midst  of  public  misery  and 
personal  wo,  I  had  found  those  whose  loss  would  have 
made  the  riches  of  mankind,  beggary  to  me.  My  soul  over- 
flowed. Words  were  not  made  to  tell  the  feverish  fond- 
ness, the  strong  delight  that  quivered  through  me.  I  wept 
with  woman's  weakness;  I  held  my  wife  and  children  at 
arm's  length,  that  I  might  enjoy  the  full  happiness  of  gazing 
on  them ;  then  my  eyes  grew  dim,  and  I  caught  them,  to  my 
heart,  and  in  silence,  the  silence  of  unspeakable  emotion, 
tried  to  collect  my  thoughts  and  to  convince  myself  that  my 
•joy  was  no  dream. 

The  night  passed  in  mutual  inquiries.  The  career  of  my 
family  had  been  deeply  diversified.  On  my  capture  in  the 
great  battle  with  Cestius,  in  which  it  was  said  that  I  had 
fallen,  they  were  on  the  point  of  coming  to  Jerusalem  to  as- 
certain their  misfortune.  The  advance  of  the  Romans  to 
Masada  precluded  this.  They  sailed  for  Alexandria,  and 
were  overtaken  by  a  storm. 

"  In  that  storm,"  said  Miriam,  with  terror  painted  on  her 
countenance,  "we  saw  a  sight  that  appalled  the  firmest  heart 
among  us,  and  which  to  this  hour  recalls  fearful  images. 
The  night  had  fallen  intensely  dark.  Our  vessel,  laboring 
through  the  tempest  during  the  day  and  greatly  shattered, 
was  expected  to  go  down  before  morn,  and  I  had  come  upon 
the  deck,  prepared  to  submit  to  the  general  fate,  when  I  saw 
a  flame  in  the  distance,  and  pointed  it  out  to  the  mariners ; 
but  they  were  paralyzed  by  weariness  and  fear,  and  instead 
of  approaching  what  I  conceived  to  be  a  beacon,  they  left  the 
vessel  to  the  mercy  of  the  wind.  I  watched  the  light ;  to  my 
astonishment,  I  saw  it  advancing  over  the  waves.  It  was  a 
large  ship  on  fire,  and  rushing  down  upon  us.  Then,  indeed, 
there  was  no  insensibility  among  our  mariners ;  they  were  like 
madmen,  through  excess  of  fear — they  did  everything  but 
make  an  effort  to  escape  the  danger. 

"  The  blazing  ship  came  toward  us  with  terrific  rapidity. 
As  it  approached,  the  figure  of  a  man  was  seen  on  the  deck, 
standing  unhurt,  in  the  midst  of  the  burning.  The  Syrian 

374 


Cbe  Sting  of  a  Storg 


pilot,  hitherto  the  boldest  of  our  crew,  at  this  sight  cast  the 
helm  from  his  hands  in  despair,  and  tore  his  beard,  exclaim- 
ing  that  we  were  undone.  To  our  questions,  he  would  give 
no  other  answer  than  by  pointing  to  the  solitary  being  who 
stood  calmly  in  the  center  of  the  conflagration,  more  like  a  de- 
mon than  a  man. 

"  I  proposed  that  we  should  make  some  effort  to  rescue  this 
unfortunate  man.  But  the  pilot,  horror-struck  at  the  thought, 
then  gave  up  the  tale  that  it  cost  him.  agonies  even  to  utter. 
He  told  us  that  the  being  whom  our  frantic  compassion  would 
attempt  to  save,  was  an  accursed  thing ;  that  for  some  crime, 
too  inexpiable  to  allow  of  his  remaining  among  creatures  ca- 
pable of  hope,  he  was  cast  out  from  men,  stricken  into  the  na- 
ture of  the  condemned  spirits,  and  sentenced  to  rove  the  ocean 
in  tire,  ever  burning  and  never  consumed !  " 

I  felt  every  word,  as  if  that  fire  was  devouring  my  flesh. 
•  The  sense  of  what  I  was,  and  what  I  must  be,  was  poison. 
My  head  swam;  mortal  pain  overwhelmed  me.  And  this 
abhorred  thing  I  was;  this  sentenced  and  fearful  wretch  I 
was,  covered  with  wrath  and  shame ;  this  exile  from  human 
nature  I  was ;  and  I  heard  my  sentence  pronounced  and  my 
existence  declared  hideous  by  the  lips  on  which  I  hung  for 
confidence  and  consolation  against  the  world. 

Flinging  my  robe  over  my  face  to  hide  its  writhings,  I 
seemed  to  listen,  but  my  ears  refused  to  hear.  In  my  per- 
turbation, I  once  thought  of  boldly  avowing  the  truth,  and 
thus  freeing  myself  from  the  pang  of  perpetual  concealment. 
But  the  offense  and  the  retribution  were  too  real  and  too 
deadly  to  be  disclosed,  without  destroying  the  last  chance  of 
happiness  to  those  innocent  sufferers.  I  mastered  the  con- 
vulsion, and  again  bent  my  ear. 

"Our  story  exhausts  you,"  said  Miriam;  "but  it  is  done. 
After  a  long  pursuit,  in  which  the  burning  ship  followed  us 
as  if  with  the  express  purpose  of  our  ruin,  we  were  snatched 
from  a  death  by  fire,  only  to  undergo  the  chance  of  one  by  the 
waves,  for  we  were  sinking.  Yet  it  may  have  been  owing 
even  to  that  chase  that  we  were  saved.  The  ship  had  driven 
us  toward  land.  At  sea  we  must  have  perished,  but  the  shore 

375 


tTbou  ftill  f  Come 


was  found  to  be  so  near,  that  the  country  people,  guided  by 
the  flame,  saved  us,  without  the  loss  of  a  life.  Once  on 
shore,  we  met  with  some  of  the  fugitives  from  Masada,  who 
brought  us  to  Jerusalem,  the  only  remaining  refuge  for  our 
unhappy  nation." 

To  prevent  a  recurrence  of  this  torturing  subject,  I  mas- 
tered my  emotion  so  far  as  to  ask  some  question  of  the  siege. 
But  Miriam's  thoughts  were  still  busy  with  the  sea.  After 
some  hesitation,  and  as  if  she  dreaded  the  answer,  .she  said  : 

"  One  extraordinary  circumstance  made  me  take  a  strong 
interest  in  the  fate  of  that  solitary  being  on  board  the  burn- 
ing vessel.  It  once  seemed  to  have  the  most  striking  likeness 
to  you.  I  even  cried  out  to  it  under  that  impression,  but 
fortunate  it  was  for  us  all  that  my  heedless  cry  was  not  an- 
swered, for  when  it  approached  us  I  could  see  its  counte- 
nance change ;  it  threw  a  sheet  of  flame  across  our  vessel  that 
almost  scorched  us ;  and  then  perhaps  thinking  that  our  de- 
struction was  complete,  the  human  fiend  ascended  from  the 
waters  in  a  pillar  of  intense  fire." 

I  felt  deep  pain  at  this  romantic  narrative.  My  mysterious 
sentence  was  the  common  talk  of  mankind.  My  frightful 
secret,  that  I  had  thought  locked  up  in  my  own  heart,  was 
loose  as  the  air.  This  was  enough  to  make  life  bitter.  But 
to  be  identified  in  the  minds  of  my  family  with  the  object  of 
universal  horror,  was  a  chance  which  I  determined  not  to 
contemplate.  My  secret  there  was  still  safe ;  and  my  resolu- 
tion became  fixed,  never  to  destroy  that  safety  by  any  frantic 
confidence  of  my  own. 


876 


CHAPTER  XLIX 

SalaihieVs  Strange  Quarters 

WHILE,  with  my  head  bent  on  my  knees,  I  hung  in  the 
misery  of  self-abhorrence,  I  heard  the  name  of  Constantius 
sorrowfully  pronounced  beside  me.  The  state  in  which  he 
must  be  left  by  my  long  absence  flashed  upon  my  mind ;  I 
raised  my  eyes,  and  saw  Salome.  It  was  her  voice  that 
sounded,  and  I  then  first  observed  the  work  of  wo  in  her 
form  and  features.  She  was  almost  a  shadow ;  her  eye  was 
lusterless,  and  the  hands  that  she  clasped  in  silent  prayer 
were  reduced  to  the  bone.  But  before  I  could  speak,  Miriam 
made  a  sign  of  silence  to  me,  and  led  the  mourner  away; 
then  returning,  said: 

"  I  dreaded  lest  you  might  make  any  inquiries  before  Salome, 
for  her  husband.  Religion  alone  has  kept  her  from  the  grave. 
On  our  arrival  here,  we  found  our  noble  Constantius  worn  out 
by  the  fatigue  of  the  time,  but  he  was  our  guardian  spirit  in 
the  dreadful  tumults  of  the  city.  When  we  were  burned  out 
of  one  asylum,  he  led  us  to  another.  It  is  but  a  week  since 
he  placed  us  in  this  melancholy  spot,  but  yet  the  more  secure 
and  unknown.  He  himself  brought  us  provisions,  supplied 
us  with  every  comfort  that  could  be  obtained  by  his  impover- 
ished means,  and  saved  us  from  famine.  But  now," — the 
tears  filled  her  eyes  and  she  could  not  proceed. 

"Yes— now,"  said  I,  "he  is  a  sight  that  would  shock  the 
eye ;  we  muse  keep  Salome  in  ignorance  as  long  as  we  can." 

"  The  unhappy  girl  knows  his  fate  but  too  well.  He  left  us 
a  few  days  since,  to  obtain  some  intelligence  of  the  siege. 
We  sat,  during  the  night,  listening  to  the  frightful  sounds  of 
battle.  At  daybreak,  unable  any  longer  to  bear  the  suspense 
or  sit  looking  at  Salome's  wretchedness,  I  ventured  to  the 

377 


Cbou  {Till  f  Come 


B  false -Keport  fountain-gate,  and  there  heard  what  I  so  bitterly  anticipated 
— our  brave  Constantius  was  slain !  " 

She  wept  aloud,  and  sobs  and  cries  of  irrepressible  anguish 
answered  her  from  the  chamber  of  my  unhappy  child. 

The  danger  of  a  too  sudden  discovery  prevented  me  from 
drying  those  tears,  and  I  could  proceed  only  by  offering  con- 
jectures on  the  various  chances  of  battle,  the  possibility  of  his 
being  made  prisoner,  and  the  general  difficulty  of  ascertaining 
the  fates  of  men  in  the  irregular  combats  of  a  populace.  But 
Salome  sat  fixed  in  cold  incredulity.  Esther  sorrowfully 
kissed  my  hand,  for  my  disposition  to  give  them  a  ray  of 
comfort ;  Miriam  gazed  on  me  with  a  sad  and  searching  look, 
as  if  she  felt  that  I  would  not  tamper  with  their  distresses, 
yet  she  was  deeply  perplexed  for  the  issue.  At  last  the  delay 
grew  painful  to  myself,  and  taking  Salome  to  my  arms,  and 
pressing  a  kiss  of  parental  love  on  her  pale  cheek,  I  whis- 
pered, "  He  lives !  " 

I  was  overwhelmed  with  transports  and  thanksgivings. 
Precaution  was  at  an  end.  If  battle  had  been  raging  in  the 
streets,  I  could  not  now  have  restrained  the  generous  impa- 
tience of  friendship  and  love.  We  left  the  mansion.  There 
was  not  much  to  leave  besides  the  walls ;  but  such  as  it  was, 
the  first  fugitive  was  welcome  to  the  possession.  Night  was 
still  within  the  building,  which  had  belonged  to  some  of  the 
Roman  officers  of  state,  and  was  massive  and  of  great  extent. 
But  at  the  threshold  the  gray  dawn  came  quivering  over  the 
Mount  of  Olives. 

We  struggled  through  the  long  and  winding  streets,  which 
even  in  the  light  were  nearly  impassable.  From  the  inhabi- 
tants we  met  with  no  impediment;  a  few  haggard  and  fierce- 
looking  men  stared  at  us  from  the  ruins,47  but  we,  wrapped  up 
in  rude  mantles  and  hurrying  along,  wore  too  much  the  livery 
of  despair  to  be  disturbed  by  our  fellows  in  wretchedness. 
With  a  trembling  heart  I  led  the  way  to  the  chamber,  where 
lay  one  in  whose  life  our  general  happiness  was  centered. 
Fearful  of  the  shock  which  our  sudden  appearance  might  give 
his  enfeebled  frame,  and  not  less  of  the  misery  with  which  he 
must  be  seen,  I  advanced  alone  to  the  bedside.  He  gave  no 

378 


Salatbiel's  Strange  Quarters 


sign  of  recognition,  tho  he  was  evidently  awake,  and  I  was  Saiatbfel  ffacee 
about  to  close  the  curtains  and  keep,  at  least,  Salome  from 
the  hazardous  sight  of  this  living  ruin,  when  I  found  her  be- 
side me.  She  took  his  hand  and  sat  down  on  the  bed,  with 
her  eyes  fixed  on  his  hollow  features.  She  spoke  not  a  word, 
but  sat  cherishing  the  wasted  hand  in  her  own  and  kissing  it 
with  sad  fondness.  Her  grief  was  too  sacred  for  our  interfer- 
ence, and  in  sorrow  scarcely  less  poignant  than  her  own,  I  led 
apart  Miriam  and  Esther,  who,  like  me,  believed  that  the 
parting  day  was  come. 

Such  rude  help  as  could  be  found  in  medicine — at  a  time 
when  our  men  of  science  had  fled  the  city,  and  a  few  herbs 
were  the  only  resource — had  not  been  neglected  even  in  my 
distraction.  But  life  seemed  retiring  hour  by  hour,  and  if  I 
dared  to  contemplate  the  death  of  this  beloved  being,  it  was 
almost  with  a  wish  that  it  had  happened  before  the  arrival  of 
those  to  whom  it  must  be  a  renewal  of  agony. 

Still,  the  minor  cares,  which  make  so  humble  yet  so  neces- 
sary a  page  in  the  history  of  life,  were  to  occupy  me.  Food 
must  be  provided  for  the  increased  number  of  my  inmates, 
and  where  was  that  to  be  found  in  the  circle  of  a  beleaguered 
city?  Money  was  useless,  even  if  I  possessed  it ;  the  friends 
who  would  once  have  shared  their  last  meal  with  me  were 
exiled  or  slain,  and  it  was  in  the  midst  of  a  fierce  populace, 
themselves  dying  of  hunger,  that  I  was  to  glean  the  daily 
subsistence  of  my  wife  and  children.  The  natural  pride  of  the 
chieftain  revolted  at  the  idea  of  supplicating  for  food,  but 
this  was  one  of  the  questions  that  show  the  absurdity  of 
pride,  and  I  must  beg  if  I  would  not  see  them  die. 

The  dwelling  had  belonged  to  one  of  the  noble  families  ex- 
tinguished, or  driven  away,  in  the  first  commotions  of  the  war. 
The  factions  which  perpetually  tore  each  other,  and  fought 
from  house  to  house,  had  stripped  its  lofty  halls  of  every- 
thing that  could  be  plundered  in  the  hurry  of  civil  feud,  and 
when  I  took  refuge  under  its  roof  it  looked  the  very  palace 
of  desolation.  But  it  was  a  shelter,  undisturbed  by  the  riots 
of  the  crowd,  too  bare  to  invite  the  robber;  and  even  in  its 
vast  and  naked  chambers,  its  gloomy  passages  and  frowning 

379 


tlbou  Gill  f  Gome 


Ube  palace  casements,  congenial  to  the  mood  of  my  mind.  With  Con- 
*8  stantius  insensible  and  dying  before  me,  and  with  my  own 
spirit  darkened  by  an  eternal  cloud,  I  loved  loneliness  and 
darkness.  When  the  echo  of  the  winds  came  round  me,  as  1 
sat  during  my  miserable  midnights,  watching  the  countenance 
of  my  son,  and  moistening  his  feverish  lip  with  the  water 
that  even  then  was  becoming  a  commodity  of  rare  price  in 
Jerusalem,  I  had  communed  with  memories  that  I  would  not 
have  exchanged  for  the  brightest  enjoyments  of  life.  I  wel- 
comed the  sad  music,  in  which  the  beloved  voices  revisited 
my  soul;  what  was  earth  now  to  me  but  a  tomb?  Pomp — 
nay,  comfort  —would  have  been  a  mockery.  I  clung  to  the 
solitude  and  obscurity  that  gave  me  the  picture  of  the  grave. 

But  the  presence  of  my  family  made  me  feel  the  wretched- 
ness of  my  abode.  When  I  cast  my  eyes  round  the  squalid 
and  chilling  halls,  and  saw  wandering  through  them  those 
gentle  and  delicate  forms,  and  saw  them  trying  to  disguise,  by 
smiles  and  cheering  words,  the  depression  that  the  whole  scene 
must  inspire,  I  felt  a  pang  that  might  defy  a  firmer  philosophy 
than  mine — the  despair  that  finds  its  only  relief  in  scorn. 

"Here,"  said  I  to  Miriam,  as  I  hastened  to  the  door,  "I 
leave  you  mistress  of  a  palace.  The  Asmonean  blood  once 
flourished  within  these  walls;  and  why  not  we?  I  have  seen 
the  nobles  of  the  land  crowded  into  these  chambers.  They 
are  not  so  full  now,  but  we  must  make  the  most  of  what  we 
have.  Those  hangings,  that  I  remember,  the  pride  of  the 
Sidonian  who  sold  them,  are  left  to  us  still ;  if  they  are  in 
fragments,  they  will  but  show  our  handiwork  the  more.  We 
must  make  our  own  music ;  and  in  default  of  menials,  serve 
with  our  own  hands.  The  pile  in  that  corner  was  once  a 
throne  sent  by  a  Persian  king  to  the  descendant  of  the  Macca- 
bee ;  it  will  serve  us  at  least  for  firing.  The  walls  are  thick ; 
the  roof  may  hold  out  a  few  storms  more ;  the  casements,  if 
they  keep  out  nothing  else,  keep  out  the  daylight,  an  unwelcome 
guest,  which  would  do  anything  but  reconcile  us  to  the  state 
of  the  mansion,  and  now,  farewell  for  a  few  hours." 

Miriam  caught  my  arm,  and  said,  in  that  sweet  tone  which 
always  sank  into  my  heart  : 

380 


Salatbiel's  Strange  Quarters 


"  Salathiel,  you  must  not  leave  us  in  this  temper.  I  would  rtMriam  Cbtoes 
rather  hear  your  open  complaints  of  fortune  than  this  affecta- 
tion of  contempt  for  your  calamities.  They  are  many  and 
painful,  I  allow,  tho  I  will  not,  dare  not,  repine.  They  may 
even  be  such  as  are  beyond  human  cure,  but  who  shall  say 
that  he  has  deserved  better — or  if  he  has,  that  suffering  may 
not  be  the  determined  means  of  exalting  his  nature?  Is  gold 
the  only  thing  that  is  to  be  tried  in  the  fire?  " 

She  waited  my  answer  with  a  look  of  dejected  love. 

"  Miriam,  I  need  not  say  that  I  respect  and  honor  your 
feelings,  but  no  resignation  can  combat  the  substantial  evils 
of  life.  Will  the  finest  sentiments  that  ever  came  from  human 
lips  make  this  darkness  light,  turn  this  bitter  wind  into 
warmth,  or  make  these  hideous  chambers  but  the  dungeon?  " 

"  My  husband,  I  dread  this  language,"  was  the  answer,  with 
more  than  usual  solemnity ;  "  it  is — must  I  say  it?- — even  un- 
wise. Shall  the  creatures  of  the  Power  by  whom  we  are 
placed  in  life  either  defy  His  wrath  or  disregard  His  mercy? 
Might  we  not  be  more  severely  tasked  than  we  are?  Are 
there  not  thousands  at  this  hour  in  the  world  who,  with  at  least 
equal  claims  to  the  divine  benevolence  (I  tremble  when  I  use 
the  presumptuous  phrase),  are  undergoing  calamities  to  which 
ours  are  happiness?  Look  from  this  very  threshold;  are  there 
not  thousands  within  the  walls  of  Jerusalem,  groaning  in  the 
pangs  of  unhealed  wounds,  mad,  starving,  stripped  of  every 
succor  of  man,  dying  in  hovels,  the  last  survivors  of  their 
wretched  race?  and  yet  we,  still  enjoying  health,  with  a  roof 
over  our  heads,  with  our  children  round  us  safe,  when  the 
plague  of  the  first-born  has  fallen  upon  almost  every  house  in 
Judea,  can  complain !  Be  comforted,  my  love ;  I  see  but  one 
actual  calamity  among  us ;  and  if  Constantius  should  survive, 
even  that  one  would  be  at  an  end." 

I  left  my  gentle  despot,  and  hurried  through  the  echoing 
halls  of  this  palace  of  the  winds.  As  I  approached  the  great 
avenues  leading  from  the  gates  to  the  Temple,  unusual  sounds 
struck  my  ears.  Hitherto  nothing  in  the  sadness  of  the  be- 
sieged city  was  sadder  than  its  silence.  Death  was  lord  of 
Jerusalem,  and  the  numberless  ways  in  which  life  was  ex- 

381 


tTbon  tlfU  fl  Gome 


®atbcr(ng  tinguished  had  left  but  the  remnant  of  its  once  proud  and 
1  flourishing  population. 

But  now  shouts,  and  still  more,  the  deep  and  perpetual 
murmur  that  bespeaks  the  movements  and  gatherings  of  a 
crowded  city,  astonished  me.  My  first  conception  was  that 
the  enemy  had  advanced  in  force,  and  I  was  turning  toward 
the  battlements  to  witness,  or  repel  the  general  fate,  when' I 
was  involved  in  the  multitude  whose  voices  had  perplexed 
me. 

It  was  the  season  of  the  Passover.  The  Roman  barrier  had 
hitherto  kept  back  the  tribes;  but  the  victory  that  left  it  in 
embers  opened  the  gates ;  and  from  the  most  death-like  soli- 
tude, we  were  once  more  to  see  the  sons  of  Judea  filling  the 
courts  of  the  city  of  cities. 


CHAPTER  L 

cAfter  the  Struggle 

NOTHING  could  be  more  unrestrained  than  the  public  re- 
joicing. The  bold  myriads  that  soon  poured  in,  hour  by  hour, 
many  of  them  long  acquainted  with  Roman  battle  and  dis- 
tinguished for  the  successful  defense  of  their  strongholds, 
many  of  them  even  bearing  arms  taken  from  the  enemy,  or 
displaying  honorable  scars,  seemed  to  have  come,  sent  by 
Heaven.  The  enemy,  evidently  disheartened  by  their  late 
losses  and  the  destruction  of  the  rampart  which  had  cost 
them  so  much  labor,  remained  collected  in  their  camps,  and 
access  was  free  from  every  quarter.  The  rumors  of  our  tri- 
umph had  spread  with  singular  rapidity  through  the  land, 
and  even  the  fearful  phenomenon  that  wrote  our  undoing  in 
the  skies  stimulated  the  national  hope.  No  son  of  Abraham 
could  believe,  without  the  strongest  repugnance,  that  Heaven 
had  interposed,  and  yet  interposed  against  the  chosen  people. 

A  living  torrent  had  come,  swelling  into  the  gates,  and  the 
great  avenues  and  public  places  were  quickly  impassable  with 
the  multitude.  Jerusalem  never  before  contained  so  vast  a 
mass  of  population.  Wherever  the  eye  turned  were  tents,  fires, 
and  feasting ;  still  the  multitude  wore  an  aspect  not  such  as 
in  former  days.  The  war  had  made  its  impression  on  the  in- 
most spirit  of  our  country.  The  shepherds  and  tillers  of  the 
ground  had  been  forced  into  the  habits  of  soldiership,  and  I 
saw  before  me,  for  the  gentle  and  joyous  inhabitants  of  the 
field  and  garden,  bands  of  warriors  made  fierce  by  the  sullen 
necessities  of  the  time. 

The  ruin  in  which  they  found  Jerusalem  increased  their 
gloom.  Groups  were  seen  everywhere  climbing  among  the 
fallen  buildings  to  find  out  the  dwelling  of  some  chief  of  their 
tribe,  and  venting  furious  indignation  on  the  hands  that  had 

383 


Gbou  GUI  f  Come 


overthrown  it.  The  work  of  war  upon  the  famous  defenses  of 
the  city  was  a  profanation  in  their  eyes.  Crowds  rushed 
through  the  plain  to  trace  the  spot  where  their  kindred  fell 
and  gather  their  bones  to  the  tardy  sepulcher.  Others  rushed 
exultingly  over  the  wrecks  of  the  Roman  soldiery,  burning 
them  in  heaps,  that  they  might  not  mix  with  the  honored 
dead. 

But  it  was  the  dilapidation  of  the  Temple  that  struck 
them  with  the  deepest  emotion.  The  singularly  nervous  sensi- 
bility and  unequaled  native  reverence  of  the  Jew  were  fully 
awakened  by  the  sight  of  the  humiliated  sanctuary.  They 
knelt  and  kissed  the  pavements,  stained  with  the  marks  of  civil 
feud.  They  sent  forth  deep  lamentations  for  the  dismantled 
beauty  of  gate  and  altar.  They  wrapped  their  mantles  round 
their  heads,  and,  covering  themselves  with  dust  and  ashes, 
chanted  hymns  of  funereal  sorrow  over  the  ruins.  Hundreds 
lay  embracing  pillar  and  threshold  as  they  would  the  corpse 
of  a  parent  or  a  child ;  or,  starting  from  the  ground,  gathered 
on  the  heights  nearest  to  the  enemy  and  poured  out  curses 
upon  the  "  Abomination  of  desolation  " — the  idolatrous  ban- 
ner that  flaunted  over  the  Roman  camps,  and  by  its  mere 
presence  polluted  the  Temple  of  their  fathers. 

In  the  midst  of  this  sorrow — and  never  was  there  more  real 
sorrow — was  the  strange  contrast  of  an  extravagant  spirit  of 
festivity.  The  Passover,  the  grand  celebration  of  our  law, 
had  been  until  now  marked  by  a  grave  homage.  Even  its 
recollections  of  triumphant  deliverance  and  illustrious  promise 
were  but  slightly  suffered  to  mitigate  the  general  awe.  But 
the  character  of  the  Jew  had  undergone  a  signal  change. 
Desperate  valor  and  haughty  contempt  of  all  power  but 
that  of  arms  were  the  impulse  of  the  time.  The  habits  of 
the  camp  were  transferred  to  every  part  of  life,  and  the  reck- 
less joy  of  the  soldier  when  the  battle  is  done,  the  eagerness 
of  the  multitude  of  the  dissolute  for  immediate  indulgence, 
and  the  rude  and  unhallowed  resources  to  while  away  the 
heavy  hour  of  idleness,  were  powerfully  and  repulsively  prom- 
inent in  this  final  coming-up  of  the  nation. 

As  I  struggled  through  the  avenues  in  search  of  the  rem- 

384 


Stter  tbe  Struggle 


nant  of  my  tribe,  my  ears  were  perpetually  startled  by  sounds  Ube 
of  riot.  I  saw,  beside  the  spot  where  relations  were  weeping  ar  eb  cene 
over  their  dead,  crowds  drinking,  dancing,  and  clamoring. 
Songs  of  wild  exultation  were  mingled  with  the  laments  for 
their  country ;  wine  flowed,  and  the  board,  loaded  with  care- 
less profusion,  was  surrounded  by  revelers,  with  whom  the 
carouse  was  invariably  succeeded  by  the  quarrel.  The  pharisee 
and  scribe,  the  pests  of  society,  were  once  more  as  busy  as 
ever,  bustling  through  the  concourse  with  supercilious  dignity, 
canvassing  for  hearers  in  the  market-places  as  of  old,  offering 
up  their  wordy  devotions  where  they  might  best  be  seen,  and 
quarreling  with  the  native  bitterness  of  religious  faction. 
Blind  guides  of  the  blind,  vipers  and  hypocrites,  I  think 
that  I  see  them  still,  with  their  turbans  pulled  down  over 
their  scowling  brows;  their  mantles  gathered  round  them, 
that  they  might  not  be  degraded  by  a  profane  touch ;  and 
every  feature  of  their  acrid  and  worldly  physiognomies 
wrinkled  with  pride,  put  to  the  torture  by  the  assumption  of 
humility. 

Minstrels,  far  unlike  those  who  once  led  the  way  with 
sacred  song  to  the  gates  of  the  holy  city,  now  flocked  round 
the  tents,  and  companies  of  Greek  and  Syrian  mimes,  dancers, 
and  flute-players,  the  natural  and  fatal  growth  of  a  period  of 
military  relaxation,  were  erecting  their  pavilions-  as  in  the 
festivals  of  their  own  profligate  cities. 

Deepening  the  shadows  of  this  fearful  profanation,  stood 
forth  the  traders  in  terror :  the  exorcist,  the  soothsayer,  the 
magician  girdled  with  live  serpents,  the  pretended  prophet, 
naked  and  pouring  out  furious  rhapsodies;  impostors  of  every 
color  and  pursuit,  yet  some  of  those  abhorred  and  frightful 
beings  probably  the  dupes  of  their  own  imposture;  some 
utterly  frenzied;  and  some  declaring,  and  doing,  wonders  that 
showed  a  power  of  evil  never  learned  from  man. 

In  depression  of  heart  I  gave  up  the  effort  to  urge  my  way 
through  scenes  that,  firm  as  I  was,  terrified  me,  and  turned 
toward  my  home  through  the  steep  path  that  passed  along 
the  outer  court  of  the  Temple.  There  all  wore  the  mournful 
silence  suited  to  the  sanctuary  that  was  to  see  its  altars  kin- 

26  385 


tlbou  CUl  f  Come 


Cbc  SanbeMrin  died  no  more.  But  the  ruins  were  crowded  with  kneeling  and 
wo-begone  worshipers,  who,  from  morning  until  night,  clung 
to  the  sacred  soil  and  wept  for  the  departing  majesty  of  Judah. 
I  now  knelt  with  them  and  mingled  my  tears  with  theirs. 

Prayer  calmed  my  spirit,  and  before  I  left  the  height  I 
stopped  to  look  again  upon  the  wondrous  expanse  below.  The 
clear  atmosphere  of  the  East  singularly  diminishes  distance, 
and  I  seemed  to  stand  close  by  the  Roman  camps.  The  valley 
at  my  feet  was  living  with  the  new  population  of  Jerusalem, 
clustering  thick  as  bees,  and  sending  up  the  perpetual  hum  of 
their  mighty  hive.  The  sight  was  superb,  and  I  involuntarily 
exulted  in  the  strength  that  my  country  was  still  able  to  dis- 
play in  the  face  of  her  enemies. 

Here  were  the  elements  of  mutual  havoc,  but  might  they 
not  be  the  elements  of  preservation?  The  thought  occurred 
that  now  might  be  the  time  to  make  an  effort  for  peace.  We 
had,  by  the  repulse  of  the  legionaries,  shown  them  the  price 
which  they  must  pay  for  conquest.  Even  since  that  repulse,  a 
new  national  force  had  started  forward,  armed  with  an  en- 
thusiasm that  would  perish  only  with  the  last  man,  and  in- 
creasing tenfold  the  difficulties  of  the  war. 

I  turned  again  to  the  ruins,  where  I  joined  some  venerable 
and  influential  men,  who  alike  shuddered  at  the  excesses  of 
the  crowd  below  and  the  catastrophe  that  prolonged  war  must 
bring.  My  advice  produced  an  impression.  The  remnant  of 
the  Sanhedrin  were  speedily  collected,  and  my  proposal  was 
adopted  that  a  deputation  should  immediately  be  sent  to 
Titus  to  ascertain  how  far  he  was  disposed  to  an  armistice. 
The  regular  pacification  might  then  follow  with  a  more  solemn 
ceremonial. 

From  the  top  of  Mount  Moriah  we  anxiously  watched  the 
passage  of  our  envoys  through  the  multitude  that  wandered 
over  the  space  from  Jerusalem  to  the  foot  of  the  enemy's 
position.  We  saw  them  pass  unmolested  and  enter  the 
Roman  lines,  and  from  the  group  of  officers  of  rank  who 
came  forward  to  meet  them  we  gladly  conjectured  that  their 
reception  was  favorable.  Within  an  hour  we  saw  them  mov- 
ing down  the  side  of  the  hill  on  their  return,  and  at  some 

386 


after  tbe  Struggle 


distance  behind,  a  cluster  of  horsemen  slowly  advancing.  The  uctus 
deputation  had  executed  its  task  with  success.  It  was  re-  3ewi8b  Enw^ 
ceived  by  Titus  with  Italian  urbanity."  To  its  representations 
of  the  power  subsisting  in  Judea  to  sustain  the  war  he  fully 
assented,  and  giving  high  praise  to  the  fortitude  of  the  people, 
only  lamented  the  necessary  havoc  "of  war.  To  give  the 
stronger  proof  of  his  wish  for  peace,  his  answer  was  to  be 
conveyed  formally  by  a  mission  of  his  chief  councilors  and 
officers  to  the  Sanhedrin. 

The  tidings  were  soon  propagated  among  the  people,  and 
proud  of  their  strength,  and  irritated  against  the  invader  as 
they  were,  the  prospect  of  relief  from  their  innumerable  pri- 
vations was  welcomed  with  undisguised  joy.  The  hope  was  as 
cheering  to  the  two  prominent  leaders  of  the  factions  as  to 
any  man  among  us.  John  of  Giscala  had  been  stimulated  into 
daring  by  circumstances  alone ;  nature  never  intended  him  for 
a  warrior.  Wily,  grasping,  and  selfish,  cruel  without  per- 
sonal boldness,  and  keen  without  intellectual  vigor,  his  only 
purpose  was  to  accumulate  money  and  to  enjoy  power.  The 
loftier  objects  of  public  life  were  beyond  his  narrow  capacity. 
He  had  been  rapidly  losing  even  his  own  objects;  his  fol- 
lowers were  deserting  him,  and  a  continuance  of  the  war  in- 
volved equally  the  personal  peril  which  he  feared,  and  the 
fall  of  that  tottering  authority  whose  loss  would  leave  him  to 
insulted  justice. 

Simon,  the  son  of  Gioras,  was  altogether  of  a  higher  class 
of  mankind.  He  was  by  nature  a  soldier,  and,  in  other  times, 
might  have  risen  to  a  place  among  the  celebrated  names  of 
war.  But  the  fierceness  of  the  period  inflamed  his  spirit  into 
savage  atrocity.  In  the  tumults  of  the  city  he  had  distin- 
guished himself  by  that  unhesitating  hardihood  which  values 
neither  its  own  life  nor  the  lives  of  others,  and  his  daring  threw 
the  hollow  and  artificial  character  of  his  rival  deeply  into  the 
shade.  But  he  found  a  different  adversary  in  the  Roman.  His 
brute  bravery  was  met  by  intelligent  valor ;  his  rashness  was 
baffled  by  the  discipline  of  the  legions ;  and  weary  of  con- 
flicts in  which  he  was  sure  to  be  defeated,  he  had  long  left  the 
field  to  the  irregular  sallies  of  the  tribes,  and  contented  him- 

387 


Gbou  Gill  1f  Come 


TTbe  leaning  self  with  prowess  in  city  feud  and  the  preservation  of  his 
o  peace      authority  against  the  dagger. 

Peace  with  Rome  would  thus  have  relieved  both  John  and 
Simon  from  the  danger  which  threatened  to  overwhelm  them 
alike ;  to  the  citizens  it  would  have  given  an  instant  change 
from  the  terrors  of  assault  to  tranquillity ;  and  to  the  nation, 
the  hope  of  an  existence  made  splendidly  secure  by  its  having 
been  won  from  the  master  of  the  world. 


CHAPTER  LI 

cA  Man  of  Mystery 

THE  movement  of  the  Kornan  mission  through  the  plain  mn  intrirt>et' 
was  marked  by  loud  shouts.  As  it  approached  the  gates,  our 
little  council  descended  from  the  temple  porch  to  meet  it, 
where  one  of  the  open  places  in  the  center  of  the  city  was  ap- 
pointed for  the  conference.  The  applauding  roar  of  the  people 
followed  the  troops  through  the  streets,  and  when  the  tribunes 
and  senators  entered  the  square,  and  gave  us  the  right  hand 
of  amity,  universal  acclamation  shook  the  air.  A  gleam  of 
joy  revisited  my  heart,  and  I  was  on  the  point  of  ascending 
an  elevation  in  the  center,  to  announce  "the  terms  of  this  for- 
tunate armistice,  when  to  my  astonishment  I  saw  the  spot 
preoccupied. 

Whence  came  the  intruder  no  one  could  tell,  but  there  he 
stood,  a  figure  that  fixed  the  universal  eye.  He  was  of 
gigantic  stature,  brown  as  an  Indian,  and  thin  as  one  worn 
to  the  last  extremity  by  disease  or  famine.  Conjecture  was 
busy.  He  seemed  alternately  the  fugitive  from  a  dungeon — 
one  of  the  half-savage  recluses  that  sometimes  came  from 
their  dens  in  the  wilderness,  to  exhibit  among  us  the  last  hu- 
miliation of  mind  and  body — a  dealer  in  forbidden  arts,  at- 
tempting to  impose  on  the  credulity  of  the  populace,  and  a 
prophet  armed  with  the  fearful  knowledge  of  our  approaching 
fall.  To  me  there  was  an  expression  in  his  countenance  that 
partook  of  all ;  yet  there  was  a  something  different  from  all 
in  the  glaring  eye,  the  livid  scorn  of  the  lip,  and  the  wild 
and  yet  grand  outline  of  features  which  appeared  alike  over- 
flowing with  malignity  and  majesty. 

No  man  thought  of  interrupting  him.  A  powerful  interest 
hushed  every  voice  of  the  multitude,  and  the  only  impulse 
was  eagerness  to  hear  the  lofty  wisdom  or  the  fatal  tidings 

389 


Gbou  GUI  f  Come 


beUcmp-st  that  must  be  deposited  with  such  a  being.  He  himself  seemed 
to  be  overwhelmed  with  the  magnitude  of  the  thoughts  that 
he  was  commissioned  to  disclose.  He  stood  for  a  while  with 
the  look  of  one  oppressed  by  a  fearful  dream,  his  bosom  heav- 
ing, his  teeth  gnashing,  every  muscle  of  his  meager  frame 
swelling  and  quivering.  He  clasped  his  bony  arms  across  his 
breast,  as  if  to  repress  the  agitation  that  impeded  his  words ; 
he  stamped  on  the  ground,  in  apparent  wrath  at  the  faculties 
which  thus  sank  under  him  at  the  important  moment ;  at  last 
the  tempest  of  his  soul  broke  forth  : 

"  Judah !  thou  wert  as  a  lion — thou  wert  as  the  king  of  the 
forest,  when  he  went  up  to  the  mountains  to  slay,  and  from 
the  mountains  came  down  to  devour.  Thou  wert  as  the  gar- 
den of  Eden ;  every  precious  stone  was  thy  covering ;  the  sar- 
dine, the  topaz,  and  the  beryl  were  thy  pavements ;  thy  foun- 
tains were  of  silver,  and  thy  daughters  who  walked  in  thy 
groves  were  as  the  cherubim  and  the  seraphim. 

"  Judah !  thy  temple  was  glorious  as  the  sun-rising,  and 
thy  priests  were  the  wise  of  the  earth.  Kings  came  against 
thee,  and  their  bones  were  an  offering ;  the  fowls  of  the  air 
devoured  them ;  the  foxes  brought  their  young,  and  feasted 
them  upon  the  mighty. 

"  Judah!  thou  wert  as  a  fire  in  the  midst  of  the  nations — a 
fire  upon  an  altar;  who  shall  quench  thee?  A  sword  over 
the  neck  of  the  heathen ;  who  shall  say  unto  thee,  Smite  no 
more!  Thou  wert  as  the  thunder  and  the  lightning;  thou 
earnest  from  thy  place,  and  the  earth  was  dark.  Thou  didst 
thunder,  and  the  nations  -shook,  and  the  fire  of  thy  indigna- 
tion consumed  them." 

The  voice  in  which  this  extraordinary  being  uttered  those 
words  was  like  the  thunder.  The  multitude  listened  with 
breathless  awe.  The  appeal  was  to  them  a  renewal  of  the 
times  of  inspiration,  and  they  awaited  with  outstretched 
hands  and  quivering  countenances  the  sentence  that  their  pas- 
sions interpreted  into  the  will  of  Heaven. 

The  figure  lifted  up  his  glance,  which  had  hitherto  been 
fixed  on  the  ground ;  and  whether  it  was  the  work  of  fancy  or 
reality,  I  thought  that  the  glance  threw  an  actual  beam  of  tire 

390 


flian  of 


across  the  upturned  visages  of  the  myriads  that  filled  every    Ube  Outers 
spot  on  which  a  foot  could  rest — roof,  wall,  and  ground.  muitituj>e 

Bowing  his  head,  and  raising  his  hands  in  the  most  solemn 
adoration  toward  the  Temple,  he  pursued,  in  a  voice  scarcely 
above  a  whisper,  yet  indescribably  impressive : 

"Sons  of  Abraham,  of  Isaac,  and  of  Jacob!  people  elect 
and  holy!  will  you  suffer  that  house  of  holiness  to  be  the 
scoff  of  the  idolater?  Will  you  see  the  polluted  sacrifice  laid 
upon  its  altars?  Will  you  be  slaves  in  the  presence  of  the 
house  of  David?  " 

A  rising  outcry  of  the  multitude  showed  how  deeply  they 
felt  his  words.  A  fierce  smile  lightened  across  his  features  at 
the  sound.  He  erected  his  colossal  form,  and  cried  out  like 
the  roar  of  a  whirlwind : 

"  Then,  men  of  Judah !  be  strong,  and  follow  the  hand  that 
led  you  through  the  sea  and  through  the  desert.  Is  that  hand 
shortened  that  it  cannot  save?  Break  off  this  accursed  league 
with  the  sons  of  Belial.  Fly  every  man  to  arms,  for  the  glory 
of  the  mighty  people.  Go,  and  let  the  sword  that  smote  the 
Canaanite  smite  the  Roman." 

He  was  answered  with  furious  exultation.  Swords  and 
poniards  were  brandished  in  the  air.  The  safety  of  the  Roman 
officers  became  endangered,  and  I,  with  some  of  the  elders, 
dreading  a  result  which  must  throw  fatal  obstacles  in  the  way 
of  pacification,  attempted  to  control  the  popular  violence  by 
reason  and  entreaty.  But  the  spirit  of  the  Romans,  haughty 
with  conquest  and  long  contempt  of  the  multitude,  disdained 
to  take  precautions  with  a  mob,  and  they  awaited  with  pal- 
pable contempt  the  subsiding  of  this  city  effervescence.  This 
silent  scorn,  which  probably  stung  the  deeper  for  its  silence, 
was  retorted  to  by  clamors  of  unequivocal  rage.  The  mys- 
terious disturber  saw  the  storm  coming,  and  flinging  a  furious 
gesture  toward  the  Roman  camps,  which  lay  glittering  in  the 
sunshine  along  the  hills,  he  rushed  into  the  loftiest  language 
of  malediction. 

"Take  up  a  lament  for  the  Roman,"  he  shouted.  "He 
comes  like  a  leviathan ;  he  troubleth  the  waters  with  his  pres- 
ence, and  the  rivers  behold  him.  and  are  afraid. 

391 


ttarrg  ttbou  Uill  f  Come 


Tibe  propbecs  "  Thus  saith  the  king,  He  who  holdeth  Israel  in  the  hollow 
of  His  hand :  I  will  spread  My  net  over  thee,  and  My  people 
shall  drag  thee  upon  the  shore ;  I  will  leave  thee  to  rot  upon 
the  land  •,  I  will  fill  the  beasts  of  the  earth  with  thee,  until 
they  shall  come  and  find  thee,  dry  bones  and  dust — even  thy 
glory  turned  into  a  taint  and  a  scorn. 

"  Lift  up  a  cry  over  Rome  and  say,  Thou  art  the  leopard ; 
thy  jaws  are  red  with  blood,  and  thy  claws  are  heavy  be- 
cause of  the  multitude  of  the  slain ;  thy  spots  are  glorious, 
and  thy  feet  are  like  wings  for  swiftness.  But  thy  time  is  at 
hand.  My  arrow  shall  smite  through  thee ;  My  sword  shall 
go  through  thee;  I  will  lay  thy  flesh  upon  the  hills;  thy 
blood  shall  be  red  in  the  rivers ;  the  pits  shall  be  full  of  thee. 

"  For  thus  saith  the  king :  I  have  not  forsaken  My  children. 
For  My  pleasure  I  have  given  them  over  for  a  while  to  the 
hands  of  the  oppressor ;  but  they  have  loved  Me — they  have 
come  before  Me,  and  offered  up  sacrifices ;  and  shall  I  desert 
the  land  of  the  chosen,  the  sons  of  the  glorious,  My  people 
Israel!" 

A  universal  outcry  of  wrath  and  triumph  followed  this  allu- 
sion to  the  national  vengeance. 

"  Ho !  "  exclaimed  the  figure.  "  Men  of  Israel,  hear  the 
words  of  wisdom.  The  burden  of  Rome.  By  the  swords  of 
the  mighty  will  I  cause  her  multitude  to  fall ;  the  terrible  and 
the  strong  shall  be  on  thee,  city  of  the  idolater ;  they  shall 
hew  off  thy  cuirasses  as  the  hewer  of  wood,  and  of  thy 
shields  they  shall  make  vessels  of  water.  There  shall  be  fire 
in  thy  palaces,  and  the  sword.  Thy  sons  and  thy  daughters 
shall  they  consume,  and  thy  precious  things  shall  be  a  spoil 
when  the  king  shall  give  the  sign  from  the  sanctuary." 

He  paused,  and,  lifting  up  his  fleshless  arm,  stood  like  a 
giant  bronze  pointing  to  the  Temple. 

To  the  utter  astonishment  of  all,  a  vapor  was  seen  to 
ascend  from  the  summit  of  Mount  Moriah,  wreathing  and 
white  like  the  smoke  that  used  to  mark  the  daily  sacrifice. 
Our  first  conception  was  that  this  great  rite  was  resumed, 
and  the  shout  of  joy  was  on  our  lips.  But  the  vapor  had 
scarcely  parted  from  the  crown  of  the  hill  when  it  blackened 

392 


/Bban  of 


and  began  to  whirl  with  extraordinary  rapidity ;  it  thenceforth  m  TKntto  panic 
less  ascended  than  shot  up,  perpetually  darkening  and  dis- 
tending. The  horizon  grew  dim;  the  cloudy  canopy  above 
continued  to  spread  and  revolve ;  lightning  began  to  quiver 
through,  and  we  heard,  at  intervals,  low  peals  of  thunder. 
But  no  rain  fell,  and  the  wind  was  lifeless.  Nothing  could 
be  more  complete  than  the  calm ;  not  a  hair  of  our  heads  was 
moved,  yet  the  heart  of  the  countless  multitude  was  pene- 
trated with  the  dread  of  some  impending  catastrophe  that  re- 
strained every  voice,  and  the  silence  itself  was  awful. 

In  the  climate  of  Judea  we  were  accustomed  to  the  rapid 
rise  and  violent  devastations  of  tempests.  But  the  rising  of 
this  storm,  so  closely  connected  with  the  appearance  of  the 
strange  sumnioner  that  it  almost  followed  his  command,  in- 
vested a  phenomenon,  at  all  times  fearful,  with  a  character 
that  might  have  struck  firmer  minds  than  those  of  the  en- 
thusiasts round  him.  To  heighten  the  wonder,  the  progress 
of  the  storm  still  seemed  faithful  to  the  command.  Wherever 
this  man  of  mystery  waved  his  arm,  there  rushed  a  sheet  of 
cloud.  The  bluest  tract  of  heaven  was  as  black  as  night,  at 
the  moment  when  he  turned  his  ominous  presence  toward  it, 
until  there  was  no  more  sky  to  be  obliterated,  and  but  for  the 
fiery  streaks  that  tore  through,  we  should  have  stood  under  a 
canopy  of  solid  gloom. 

At  length  the  whirlwind,  that  we  had  seen  driving  and 
rolling  the  clouds  like  billows,  burst  upon  us,  scattering  frag- 
ments of  the  buildings  far  and  wide,  and  cutting  a  broad  way 
through  the  overthrown  multitude.  Then  superstition  and 
terror  were  loud-mouthed.  The  populace,  crushed  and  dashed 
down,  exclaimed  that  a  volcano  was  throwing  up  flame  from 
the  mount  of  the  Temple ;  that  sulfurous  smokes  were  rising 
through  the  crevices  of  the  ground ;  that  the  rocking  of  an 
earthquake  was  felt;  and  still  more  terrible,  that  beings,  not 
to  be  looked  on,  nor  even  to  be  named,  were  hovering  round 
them  in  the  storm. 

The  general  rush  of  the  people,  in  which  hundreds  were 
trampled  and  in  which  nothing  but  the  most  violent  efforts 
could  keep  any  on  their  feet,  bore  me  away  for  a  while.  The 

393 


Chou  Ctll  f  Come 


truggle  was  sufficient  to  absorb  all  my  senses,  for  nothing 
could  be  more  perilous.  The  darkness  was  intense,  the  peals 
of  the  storm  were  deafening,  and  the  howlings  and  fury  of 
the  crowd,  trampling  and  being  trampled  on,  and  fighting  for 
life  in  blindness  and  despair,  with  hand,  foot,  and  dagger, 
made  an  uproar  louder  than  that  of  the  storm.  In  this  con- 
flict, rather  of  demons  than  of  men,  I  was  whirled  away  in 
eddy  after  eddy,  until  chance  brought  me  again  to  the  foot  of 
the  elevation. 

There  I  beheld  a  new  wonder.  A  column  of  livid  fire  stood 
upon  it,  reaching  to  the  clouds.  I  could  discern  the  outline 
of  a  human  form  within.  But  while  I  expected  to  see  it  drop 
dead  or  blasted  to  a  cinder,  the  flame  spread  over  the  ground, 
and  I  saw  its  strange  inhabitant  making  signs  like  those  of 
incantation.  He  drew  a  circle  upon  the  burning  soil,  poured 
out  some  unguent  which  diffused  a  powerful  and  rich  odor, 
razed  the  skin  of  his  arm  with  a  dagger,  and  let  fall  some 
drops  of  blood  into  the  blaze. 

I  shuddered  at  the  sight  of  those  palpable  appeals  to  the 
power  of  Evil,  but  I  was  pressed  upon  by  thousands,  and  re- 
treat was  impossible.  The  strange  being  then,  with  a  ghastly 
smile  of  triumph,  waved  the  weapon  toward  the  Roman 
camps. 

"  Behold,"  he  cried,  "  the  beginnings  of  vengeance!  " 

A  thunder-roll  that  almost  split  the  ear  echoed  round  the 
hills.  The  darkness  passed  away  with  it.  Above  Jerusalem 
the  sky  cleared,  and  cleared  into  a  translucence  and  blue 
splendor  unrivaled  by  the  brightest  sunshine.  The  people, 
wrought  up  to  the  highest  expectancy,  shouted  at  this 
promise  of  a  prouder  deliverance,  and  exclaiming,  "  Goshen ! 
Goshen ! "  looked  breathlessly  for  the  completion  of  the 
plague  upon  the  more  than  Egyptian  oppressor.  They  were 
not  held  long  in  suspense. 

The  storm  had  cleared  away  above  our  heads,  only  to  gather 
in  deeper  terrors  round  the  circle  of  hills  on  which  we  could 
see  the  enemy  in  the  most  overwhelming  state  of  alarm.  The 
clouds  rushed  on,  ridge  over  ridge,  until  the  whole  horizon 
seemed  shut  in  by  a  wall  of  night  towering  to  the  skies.  I 

394 


21  dfcan  of 


heard  the  deep  voice  of  the  orator ;  at  the  utterance  of  some  Ube 
strange  words,  a  gleam  played  round  his  dagger's  point,  and 
the  wall  of  darkness  was  instantly  a  wall  of  fire.  The  storm 
was  let  loose  in  its  rage.  While  we  stood  in  daylight  and  in 
perfect  calm,  the  lightning  poured  like  sheets  of  rain  or 
gushes  of  burning  metal  from  a  furnace  upon  the  enemy. 
The  vast  circuit  of  the  camps  was  instantly  one  blaze.  The 
wind  tore  everything  before  it  with  irresistible  violence.  We 
saw  the  tents  swept  off  the  ground  and  driven  far  over  the 
hills  in  flames  like  meteors ;  the  piles  of  arms  and  banners 
blown  away;  the  soldiery  clinging  to  the  rocks,  flying  to- 
gether in  helpless  crowds,  or  scattering,  like  maniacs,  with 
hair  and  garments  on  fire  ;  the  baggage  and  military  machines, 
the  turrets  and  ramparts,  sinking  in  flames;  the  beasts  of 
burden  plunging  and  rushing  through  the  lines,  or  lying  in 
smoldering  heaps  where  the  lightning  first  smote  them.  All 
was  conflagration! 


395 


CHAPTER  LII 

The  'Prophecy  of 

Ube  tRoman  THE  Roman  embassy  had  hitherto  remained  in  stern  coin- 
Orowg  HnJ>Igs  posure.  The  visitations  of  nature  they  were  accustomed  to 
sustain ;  the  perturbations  of  a  Jewish  mob  were  beneath  the 
notice  of  the  universal  conquerors.  But  the  sight  of  the  havoc 
among  their  countrymen  shook  their  stoicism,  and  the  cavalry 
that  formed  the  escort  burst  into  indignant  murmurs  at  the 
exultation  of  the  multitude,  until  the  commander  of  the 
troop,  whose  arms  and  bearing  showed  him  to  be  of  the  high- 
est rank,  unable  to  restrain  his  feelings,  spurred  to  the  front 
of  the  embarrassed  mission. 

"How  long,  senators,"  exclaimed  he,  "shall  we  stand  here 
to  be  scoffed  at  by  these  wretches?  The  imperial  guard  feels 
itself  disgraced  by  such  a  service.  Will  you  have  the  squadron 
openly  mutiny?  If  they  should  ride  away  and  leave  us  to 
ourselves,  who  could  blame  them?  What  will  the  noble  Titus 
say,  when  we  return  to  tell  him  that  we  stood  by  and  listened 
to  the  taunts  of  those  cooped-up  slaves,  on  him,  the  army,  and 
Rome?  But  how  long  shall  we  be  suffered  even  to  listen? 
Linger  here,  and  before  the  day  is  out  your  lives  will  be  at 
the  mercy  of  those  assassins.  And  by  the  immortal  gods, 
richly  shall  we  all  deserve  our  fate,  for  having  come  into  this 
den  but  as  masters  riding  over  the  necks  of  those  lost  and 
lowest  of  mankind." 

It  was  fortunate  for  the  speaker  that  he  spoke  in  a  language 
but  little  known  to  our  bold  peasantry.  The  senators  held 
their  peace,  and  waited  for  the  subsiding  of  the  popular  effer- 
vescence. 

"  Noble  JEmilius !  "  exclaimed  the  fiery  youth,  to  a  graye 
and  lofty-countenanced  man  at  the  head  of  the  mission,  "  to 

R96 


The  Roman  rushed  at  him  with  his  drawn  falchion 


CHAPTER  LH 
The  ^Prophecy  of  Evil 


• ...    ,t.   ; ; . 

that  form. .  umrmur.- 

exultation 

troop,  wh<  ,t.  hi 


rial  guaru 


Linger  liore,  ami 

the  mercy  of   tl  And  by  the  immortal  g 

richly  shall  \\c  a  e,  for  having  c 

den  but  as  masters  riding  o\ 

lowest  of  mankind." 


Copyright,  1901,  by  Funk  A  W  agnails  Company,  N.  Y.  and  London. 


propbecB  of  Evil 


remain  here  is  only  to  risk  your  safety  and  the  honor  of  the   m  /carvel  of 
Emperor.     Treaty  with  this  people  is  out  of  the  question. 
Give  me  the  order  to  disperse  this  rabble,  and  a  single  charge 
will  decide  the  affair." 

He  threw  himself  forward  on  his  horse's  neck,  and  fixed 
his  look  eagerly  on  the  senator's  countenance.  But  the  old 
Roman  was  immovable.  The  man  of  prophecy,  who  had  stood 
with  his  robe  wrapped  round  his  arms  in  an  attitude  of  con- 
temptuous ease,  awaiting  the  result  of  the  demand,  burst  into 
loud  laughter.  The  young  soldier's  indignation  was  roused 
by  this  new  object.  He  turned  to  the  scorner,  and  crying  out, 
"  Ho !  is  it  you,  miscreant?  You  at  least  shall  not  escape  me, " 
flung  his  lance  full  against  his  bosom.  I  saw  the  weapon 
strike  with  prodigious  force,  but  it  might  as  well  have  struck 
a  rock.  It  flew  into  splinters. 

The  Roman  rushed  at  him  with  his  drawn  falchion.  His 
strange  antagonist  stood  without  moving  a  limb,  and  only 
raised  his  cold,  large  eye.  The  charger,  in  his  fiercest  bound, 
instantly  swerved,  and  had  nearly  unseated  his  rider.  Nothing 
could  bring  him  forward  again.  Spur  and  voice  were  useless. 
The  animal,  a  magnificent  jet  black,  of  the  largest  Arab  breed, 
strong  as  a  bull  and  bold  as  a  lion,  could  not  abide  that  stern 
eye.  He  galloped  madly  round  and  round,  but  the  attempt  to 
force  him  against  the  stranger  stopped  him  as  if  he  were 
stabbed.  Then  with  every  muscle  in  his  frame  palpitating, 
his  broad  chest  heaving,  his  nostrils  breathing  out  vapor, 
and  the  foam  flying  over  his  front  like  snow,  he  would  plunge 
and  rear  until,  mastering  his  powerful  rider,  he  wheeled 
round  and  darted  away. 

The  shouts  of  scorn  that  rose  from  the  populace  at  every 
fresh  failure,  doubly  enraged  the  young  Roman.  He  made  a 
final  effort,  and  grasping  the  bridle  in  both  hands,  and  dash- 
ing in  the  spur,  at  length  succeeded  in  forcing  the  wearied 
charger  on.  The  noble  creature,  at  one  immense  leap,  reached 
the  fatal  spot.  But  there  he  was  fixed  as  if  some  power  had 
transformed  him  into  stone.  He  no  longer  staggered  nor 
swerved,  but  crouching  down,  with  his  feet  thrust  forward, 
his  crest  stooped,  his  nostrils  on  the  ground,  and  his  bright 

397 


tlarrg  Gbou  Gill  f  Come 


Saiatbtel  eye  strained  and  filmy,  as  if  he  were  growing  blind,  stood 
mmen?8Cn  *  gazing  with  a  look  of  almost  human  horror.  The  furious  rider 
struck  him  on  the  head  with  the  flat  of  his  falchion.  The 
charger  gathered  up  his  limbs  at  the  blow,  reared  straight  as 
a  column,  and  bellowing,  plunged  upon  his  head.  There  was 
a  general  cry  of  terror,  even  among  the  multitude,  and  they 
rushed  forward  to  help  him  to  rise.  But  he  rose  no  more.  He 
rolled  over  and  over  his  rider,  and,  stretching  out  his  limbs  in 
a  convulsion,  died. 

The  tumult  was  on  the  point  of  being  renewed,  for  the 
soldiery  pushed  forward  to  bear  away  their  officer,  who  lay 
like  a  corpse ;  but  the  crowd  had  already  covered  the  ground, 
and  blows  were  given  on  both  sides.  Indignant  at  the  inter- 
ruption of  the  armistice,  and  the  injury  that  threatened  the 
sacred  person  of  ambassadors,  I  forced  my  way  through  the 
crowd ;  by  exerting  a  strength  with  which  few  could  cope, 
rescued  the  young  Roman,  and  delivering  him  to  the  mission, 
protested  against  their  construing  the  casual  violence  of  rioters 
into  the  determination  of  the  people. 

I  had  partially  succeeded  in  calming  their  resentment,  and 
in  restraining  the  bloodthirsty  weapons  that  were  already 
glittering  in  numberless  hands,  when  a  sound  like  that  of  a 
trumpet,  distant  but  blown  with  tremendous  force,  struck 
every  ear  at  once. 

I  looked  involuntarily  to  the  man  who  had  already  been 
our  disturber.  He  pointed  to  the  heavens.  A  fragment  of 
cloud,  that  seemed  to  have  escaped  from  the  mass  of  the  tem- 
pest, was  floating  along  the  zenith.  He  took  up  his  parable : 

"  Have  I  not  covered  the  heavens  with  a  cloud?  saith  the 
Mighty  One.  Have  I  not  said  to  the  sun,  Be  dark;  and  to  the 
moon  and  stars,  Be  ashamed?  Have  I  not  hidden  Mine  ene- 
mies in  the  shroud,  and  said  to  the  whirlwind,  Go  forth  and 
slay?  " 

His  gesture  turned  all  eyes  to  the  wrecks  of  the  Roman 
camp,  where  the  whirlwind  continued  to  ravage  and  the 
thunders  still  roared.  Then  throwing  himself  forward  with  a 
look  full  of  wild  grandeur,  and  in  a  voice  hollow  and  appal- 
ling as  the  storm,  he  exclaimed : 

398 


Cbe  propbecs  of 


"  Behold !  this  day  shall  a  wonder  be  wrought  among  you  rbe  flam 
— this  day  shall  a  mighty  thing  be  brought  to  pass.  Kings 
shall  see  it  and  tremble ;  yea,  the  .heathen  shall  melt  before 
thee.  Their  strength  shall  be  as  water  and  their  hearts  as  the 
burning  flax.  Sorrow  shall  be  on  them,  as  the  locust  on  the 
green  field,  and  they  shall  flee  as  from  a  lion.  Behold !  in  a 
cloud  shall  a  sword  be  brandished  before  thee ;  in  smoke  and 
in  fire  shalt  thou  conquer.  For  His  angel  shall  come,  and  the 
sword  and  the  flame  shall  at  this  hour  be  a  sign  unto  Israel !  " 

Whether  by  the  proverbial  sagacity  of  the  wanderers  of  the 
desert,  by  one  of  those  coincidences  which  so  curiously  come 
to  sustain  the  credit  of  daring  conjecture,  or  by  knowledge 
from  some  darker  sources,  the  little  orbed  vapor  began  to 
lengthen  and  rapidly  assumed  the  shape  of  a  sword. 

Dreading  the  popular  power  of  imposture,  and  the  uses  to 
which  it  would  inevitably  be  applied,  I  •  was  glad  that  this 
extraordinary  being  had  thus  put  himself  upon  his  trial;  and 
I  stood  gazing  in  eager  expectation  that  some  passing  gust 
would  dissipate  at  once  the  cloud  and  the  reputation  of  the 
prophet.  Yet  utterly  scorning  the  common  pretensions  of 
the  rambling  practisers  of  forbidden  arts,  I  knew  that  awful 
things  had  been  done ;  that  most  of  all,  in  these  latter  days 
of  our  country,  strange  influences  were  let  loose,  perhaps  to 
plunge  into  deeper  ruin  a  people  guiltily  prone  to  take  refuge 
in  delusions.  I  had  heard  prophecies,  hideous  and  unholy, 
which  were  never  taught  by  man ;  I  had  seen  a  command  of 
the  elements  that  utterly  defied  philosophy  to  account  for 
it;  if  in  the  last  vengeance  of  Heaven,  evil  spirits  were 
ever  suffered  to  go  forth  and  give  their  power  to  evil  men, 
for  the  purpose  of  binding  in  the  faster  chains  of  falsehood  a 
race  who  loved  a  lie,  it  was  in  those  hours  of  signs  and  won- 
ders which  might,  if  possible,  deceive  the  very  elect. 

To  my  astonishment,  the  cloud  suddenly  changed  its  color ; 
from  white  it  became  intensely  red ;  and  in  a  few  moments 
more  it  burst  into  a  flame  that  threw  a  broad  reflection  upon 
the  whole  atmosphere.  It  was  a  vast  falchion  of  fire  And 
from  that  hour  to  the  last  of  the  glorious  and  unhappy  city 
of  David,  that  flaming  sword — the  sign  of  a  wrath  predicted 

399 


Cbou  Gill  f  Come 


Superstition    a  thousand  years  before — blazed  day  and  night  over  Jeru- 
nnfc  tncipiable      ,        . 
flDurter       saleui ! 

Its  instant  effect  was  terrible.  The  multitude,  already  in- 
dignant against  the  Romans,  and  restrained  only  by  my 
desperate  efforts,  were  now  roused  to  the  highest  pitch  of 
presumption.  To  doubt  of  the  help  of  Heaven  was  impiety, 
after  this  open  wonder ;  to  spare  an  hour  between  this  divine 
command  and  the  extermination  of  the  idolater  was  sacrilege. 
They  poured  round  the  unfortunate  troop  and  instantly  over- 
whelmed them,  as  an  earthquake  would  have  overwhelmed 
them.  A  mass  of  human  life,  dense  as  the  ground  it  trod 
upon,  broke  over  them.  The  Romans  struggled  heroically ;  I 
saw  their  charges  often  make  fearful  way,  and  their  swords 
and  lances  dripping  with  blood  every  time  they  were  whirled 
round  their  heads.  But  the  conflict  was  too  unequal ;  one  by 
one  those  brave  men  were  torn  down ;  I  saw  them  swept  along 
by  the  torrent,  fewer  and  fewer,  still  above  the  living  wave ; 
gradually  separated  more  widely  from  each  other ;  each  man 
faintly  struggling  for  himself,  flinging  his  feeble  arms  to  the 
right  and  left,  till,  dizzy  with  fatigue  and  despair,  at  last  he 
went  down,  and  the  roaring  tide  closed  over  him. 

All  perished,  and  a  day  of  hope  was  closed  in  superstition, 
treachery,  and  inexpiable  murder. 

The  dreadful  uproar  sank  as  suddenly  as  it  had  risen.  The 
Roman  troop  lay  a  heap  of  dead.  I  turned  away  from  the 
sight,  but  at  the  instant  of  turning  I  saw  the  prophet  of  evil, 
whether  impostor  or  magician,  whether  man  or  demon,  spring 
into  their  midst  with  a  roar  of  laughter.  I  shrank  away.  But 
I  heard  that  terrible  laugh  ringing  through  all  the  streets  of 
Jerusalem ! 


400 


CHAPTER  LHI 

A  Fatal  Sign 

IT  was  night,  and  the  greater  portion  of  the  city  lay  be- 
tween  me  and  home.  To  traverse  it  was  still  a  matter  of 
danger.  Furious  festivity  had  succeeded  to  furious  conflict ; 
the  roving  mountaineers  made  little  difference  between  a 
stranger  and  an  enemy,  and  whether  inflamed  with  wine  or 
triumph,  the  carousers  on  that  night  were  the  masters  of 
Jerusalem. 

I  kept  my  course  through  the  less  frequented  ways,  and 
leaving  on  either  side  the  great  avenues,  crowded  with  tents 
and  glittering  with  illumination,  committed  myself  to  the 
quiet  light  of  the  moon. 

But  in  choosing  the  more  solitary  streets,  I  was,  without 
recollecting  it,  led  into  the  open  place  where  the  late  dis- 
turbance had  begun,  and  I  felt  some  vague  dread  of  passing  a 
spot  on  which  had  appeared  a  being  so  singular  as  the  leader 
of  the  tumult. 

By  a  compromise  with  my  prudence,  I  kept  as  far  from  the 
hillock  as  possible,  and  was  moving  rapidly  by  the  wall  of  one 
of  the  huge  buildings  of  Herod,  when  I  heard  a  groan.  In 
the  nervousness  of  the  time,  and  doubtful  from  what  region 
of  earth  or  air  my  antagonist,  in  that  place  of  spells,  might 
come,  I  drew  my  dagger  with  a  sensation  that  I  had  never 
felt  in  the  field,  and  setting  my  back  against  the  wall,  stood 
on  my  defense.  But  a  wounded  man,  the  utterer  of  the 
groan,  now  tottered  into  the  light  and  fell  before  me.  I  rec- 
ognized the  commander  of  the  escort.  The  dying  struggles  of 
his  charger  had  crushed  him,  and  the  multitude  had  abandoned 
him  to  his  fate. 

To  leave  him  where  he  was,  was  to  leave  him  to  perish. 
I  owed  something  to  the  survivor  of  the  unfortunate  mission, 

26  401 


TTbou  Hill  1  Come 


s  of  and  my  short  consultation  closed  by  carrying  him  on  rny 
shoulders  to  the  door  of  my  comfortless  dwelling. 

The  Roman  had  learned  to  distrust  Jewish  fidelity.  The 
gloom  inside  the  entrance  looked  the  very  color  of  secret 
murder.  Even  the  dismantled  appearance  of  the  exterior  was 
enough  for  suspicion,  and  he  firmly  ordered  that  I  should 
terminate  my  good  offices  at  the  threshold.  Irritated  by  his 
obvious  meaning,  I  left  him  to  his  wish,  and  placing  him  in 
the  fullest  enjoyment  of  such  security  as  the  open  street  and 
the  moonlight  could  give,  took  my  farewell,  bidding  him  in 
future  to  have  a  better  opinion  of  mankind. 

Yet  I  was  to  be  startled  in  my  turn.  As  I  climbed  the 
broken  staircases,  I  saw  an  unusual  light  in  the  chambers 
above.  Accustomed  as  I  was  to  reverses,  I  felt  tenfold  alarm 
from  the  preciousness  of  my  stake.  The  ferocious  bands  that 
crowded  the  streets,  inflamed  with  wine  and  blood,  could 
have  no  scruples  where  plunder  tempted  them ;  and  in  the 
strong  persuasion  that  some  misfortune  had  happened  in  my 
long  absence,  I  lingered  in  doubt  whether  I  should  not  return 
to  the  streets,  collect  what,  assistance  I  could  find  among  the 
passersby,  and  crush  the  robbers  by  main  force.  But  sud- 
den exclamations  and  hurried  feet  above  left  me  no  time ;  I 
darted  up  the  shattered  steps  and  breathlessly  threw  open  the 
door. 

Well  might  I  wonder.  I  saw  a  superb  room,  hung  with 
tapestry,  a  table  in  the  center  covered  with  plate  and  viands, 
a  rich  lamp  illuminating  the  chamber,  stately  furniture,  a 
fire  blazing  on  a  tripod  and  throwing  a  cheering  warmth  and 
delicious  odor  round;  yet,  to  enjoy  all  this,  not  a  living 
creature.  But  whatever  my  anxieties  might  be,  they  were  de- 
lightfully scattered  by  the  voice  of  Esther,  who  came  flying 
toward  me  with  outstretched  arms  and  a  face  bright  with 
joy.  From  an  inner  chamber  followed  more  messengers  of 
good  tidings — Miriam  and  Salome  leading  Con stan this !  They 
had  watched  over  him  from  the  time  of  my  departure  with  a 
sickly  alternation  of  hope  and  fear ;  as  the  evening  approached 
he  seemed  dying.  Salome,  with  the  jealousy  of  deep  sorrow, 
desired  to  be  left  alone  with  him ;  and  the  two  sad  listeners 

403 


B  ffatal  Sign 


at  the  door  expected  at  every  moment  the  burst  of  agony  an-  Saiatbfel  <Socs 
nouncing  her  irreparable  loss.     They  heard  a  cry  of  joy ;  the  to 
torpor  was  gone,  and  Constantius  was  sitting  up,  raised  to 
new  life,  wondering  at  all  round  him,  and  uttering  the  rap- 
tures of  gratitude  and  love. 

The  sound  that  had  impelled  me  to  my  abrupt  entrance 
was  the  joy  of  my  family  at  bringing  the  recovered  patient  in 
triumph  from  his  weary  bed  into  view  of  the  comforts  pro- 
vided for  him  and  for  me.  The  change  wrought  in  the  cham- 
ber itself  was  explained  by  the  presence  of  .two  old  domestics 
who,  in  the  flight  of  the  former  possessors,  had  been  over- 
looked, and  suffered  to  hide,  rather  than  live,  in  a  corner  of 
the  ruin.  They  had  contrived  in  the  general  spoliation  to 
secrete  some  of  the  precious  things  which  the  haste  of  plunder 
had  not  time  to  seize.  The  presence  of  a  noble  family  under 
the  honored  roof  once  more  brought  out  their  feelings  and 
treasures  together,  and  by  the  graceful  dexterity  of  Miriam 
and  Esther  were  those  naked  walls  converted  into  an  apart- 
ment not  unworthy  to  be  inhabited  by  themselves. 

While  I  was  indulging  in  the  luxury  which  those  gentle 
ministers  provided,  the  thought  of  the  unfortunate  Roman 
occurred  to  me.  I  slightly  mentioned  him,  and  every  voice 
was  raised  to  have  him  brought  in  from  the  hazards  of  the 
night.  Constantius,  feeble  as  he  was,  rose  from  his  couch  to 
assist  in  this  work  of  hospitality;  but  he  was  under  a  fond 
tyrant,  who  would  not  suffer  her  commands  to  be  questioned. 
Salome's  orders  were  obeyed;  and  to  one  of  the  old  domestics 
and  me  was  destined  the  undivided  honor. 

I  found  the  wounded  officer  lying  on  the  spot  where  I  had 
parted  with  him,  gazing  on  the  moon  and  humming  a  gay  air 
of  Italy  in  a  most  melancholy  tone.  He  had  made  up  his 
reckoning  with  this  world,  and  calmly  waiting  until  some 
Jewish  knife  should  put  an  end  to  his  troubles,  he  determined 
to  save  himself  from  the  trouble  of  thinking,  and  die  like  a 
man  who  had  nothing  better  to  do.  But  the  struggle  was 
against  nature,  and  as  I  slowly  felt  my  way  along  the  ob- 
scure passages,  I  had  time  to  hear  the  song  flutter  and  now 
and  then  a  groan  supersede  it  altogether.  My  step  now  caught 

403 


Ubc  iRoman   his  quick  ear,  and  I  heard  in  return  the  ringing  of  a  sword 
•negotiates    plucked  sharply  from  the  scabbard. 

The  bold  Kornan,  reckless  as  he  was  of  life,  was  evidently 
resolved  not  to  let  it  go  without  its  price,  and  it  was  prob- 
ably fortunate  for  me,  or  my  old  and  tottering  fellow  phi- 
lanthropist, that  the  ruinous  state  of  the  passages  compelled 
us  to  take  time  in  our  advance. 

"Two  of  them,"  I  heard  him  mutter  as  we  gradually 
worked  our  way  toward  the  light ;  "  two,  and  perhaps  twenty 
at  their  backs." 

He  tried  to  raise  himself,  leaning  on  one  hand,  and  with 
the  other  feebly  pointing  the  falchion  to  keep  us  off. 

"Thieves,"  said  he,  "let  us  understand  each  other.  If  you 
must  cut  my  throat,  you  must  fight  for  it,  and,  after  all,  I 
have  nothing  to  make  it  worth  your  trouble.  By  Jove  and 
Venus,"  and  he  laughed  with  the  strange  jocularity  that 
sometimes  besets  the  bold  in  the  last  peril,  "the  cleverest 
robber  in  Jerusalem  could  make  nothing  of  me." 

I  stood  in  the  shadow,  while  he  again  tried  his  expostula- 
tion. 

"  My  clothes  would  not  sell  for  the  smallest  coin  in  your 
sashes;  I  could  not  furnish  out  a  scarecrow — yet  Jewish 
patriots,  or  thieves,  or  saints,  or  all  together,  I  will  tell  you 
how  you  can  make  money  of  me.  Take  me  to  the  Roman 
camp,  and  I  answer  for  your  fortune  on  the  spot." 

I  laughed  in  my  turn. 

"By  all  that's  honest,  I  never  was  more  serious  in  my 
life, "  said  he ;  "  far  be  it  from  me  to  trifle  with  heroes  of  your 
profession.  You  shall  have  my  helmetful  of  gold  Vespa- 
sians." 

"Well,  then,"  said  I,  coming  forward,  "you  shall  live  at 
least  for  to-night ;  but  there  is  one  condition  which  I  can  not 
give  up — 

"Of  course,  that  I  give  you  two  helmetsful  instead  of 
one.  Agreed." 

"  The  condition  from  which  nothing  can  make  me  recede 
is " 

"  Three  times  the  money,  or  ten  times  the  money?  " 

404 


B  ffatal  Sign 


I  pondered.     The  old  domestic  stared  at  us  both.  Septfmfus 

"  Why,  you   extravagant   Jew,  have   you   no   conscience?       ec°9" 3e& 
Eecollect  how  little   the   lives  of   half   the  generals  in  the 
service  are  worth  half  the   sum.     But  say  anything  short  of 
the  military  chest — out  with  the  condition  at  once." 

"That  you  come  instantly  with  me  — to  supper." 

The  formidable  stipulation  was  gaily  acceded  to.  The  old 
domestic  and  I  supported  him  up  the  stairs,  whose  condition, 
as  he  afterward  allowed,  led  him  still  to  nurture  shrewd 
doubt  of  Jewish  hospitality.  But  when  I  opened  the  door  of 
the  chamber  and  he  saw  the  striking  preparations  within,  he 
uttered  a  cry  of  surprise,  and  turning,  bowed  with  Italian 
grace,  in  tacit  acknowledgment  of  the  wrong  that  he  had  done 
me. 

As  I  led  him  forward  and  the  light  fell  on  his  features,  1 
saw  Esther's  countenance  glow  with  crimson.  The  Roman 
pronounced  her  name  and  flew  over  to  her.  Miriam — we  all 
in  the  same  moment  recognized  the  stranger,  and  every  lip  at 
once  uttered  "  Septimius !  " 

A  few  campaigns  in  the  imperial  guard  had  changed  the 
handsome  Italian  boy,  the  friend  and  favorite  of  Constantius, 
into  the  showy  officer,  the  friend  and  favorite  of  everybody; 
with  the  elegance  of  the  court,  and  the  freedom  of  the  camp, 
he  had  inherited  from  nature  the  easy  lightness  and  animation 
of  temper  that  neither  can  give.  Nothing  could  be  more  amu- 
sing than  the  restless  round  of  anecdote  that  he  kept  up 
through  the  night.  The  circle  in  which  he  found  himself, 
contrasted  with  the  wretchedness  of  the  few  hours  before,  let 
his  recollections  flow  with  wild  vivacity.  His  stories  of  the 
imperial  tent  were  new  to  us,  and  he  told  them  with  the 
taste  of  a  man  of  high  breeding  and  the  sarcastic  finish  of  a 
keen  observer  of  the  absurdities  that  will  creep  in  even 
among  the  mighty  and  the  wise  of  the  world. 

In  our  several  ways  he  delighted  us  all.  Constantius 
seemed  to  gain  new  health  in  laughing  at  the  histories  of  his 
military  friends.  Salome's  face  glistened  with  the  vividness 
so  long  chased  away  \)y  sorrow,  as  the  manners  of  Rome  passed 
before  her  in  the  liveliest  colors  of  pleasantry.  Esther 

405 


tlarrg  Gbou  Sill  1  Come 


H  prccadous  treasured  every  word  with  an  emotion  that  fluctuated  across 
her  beauty  like  the  opening  and  shutting  of  a  rose  under  the 
evening  breeze.  I  was  interested  by  the  pungent  sketches  of 
public  character  that  started  up  in  the  midst  of  sportive  de- 
scription. Miriam  alone  was  reluctant,  and  her  glance  fre- 
quently rested  with  pain  on  Esther's  hectic  cheek.  But  even 
Miriam  at  times  gave  way  to  the  voice  of  the  charmer ;  her 
fears  were  forgotten,  and  she  joined  in  the  general  smile. 

When  the  women  retired,  we  held  a  short  consultation  on 
the  means  of  restoring  our  guest  to  his  friends.  In  the  im- 
mediate temper  of  the  city,  to  be  seen  was  certain  death,  and 
no  pacific  intercourse  with  the  besiegers  could  be  expected 
after  our  enormous  infraction  of  treaty.  Constantius  urged 
the  despatch  of  a  private  messenger  to  the  camp  with  the  pro- 
posal of  a  plan  for  his  escape.  To  my  surprise,  and  certainly 
to  my  gratification,  Septimius  himself  flatly  negatived  the 
measure. 

"  It  has  too  much  hazard  for  my  taste,"  said  he  sportively. 
"  Your  messenger  will  probably  be  caught  by  the  people  and 
as  probablj-  hanged ;  or  if  he  reach  the  camp,  he  will  be  hanged 
there  inevitably.  Jewish  credit,  I  regret  to  say,  will  not 
stand  high  within  these  twelve  hours,  with  my  countrymen. 
If  the  fellow  die  here  like  a  woman,  with  a  story  in  his 
mouth,  you  will  all  be  brought  under  the  justice  of  your 
sovereign  lord  the  mob.  If  my  countrymen  inflict  the  ax, 
you  are  not  the  safer,  for  every  peasant  about  the  camp  is  a 
spy,  and  the  news  will  travel  here  in  the  next  half -hour,  and 
after  all,  your  trouble  will  be  thrown  away.  Titus  has  good- 
nature enough,  and  probably  would  not  wish  to  see  me  hoisted 
on  the  top  of  a  pike  on  your  gates ;  but  he  is  a  furious  dis- 
ciplinarian, swears  by  the  law  of  honor  and  arms,  and  is,  I 
can  well  believe,  chafing  like  a  roused  lion  against  every  one 
who  has  had  a  share  in  this  day's  business.  I  myself  should 
have  a  chance  of  hanging,  for  an  example,  if  I  returned  be- 
fore his  imperial  displeasure  had  time  to  cool.  So  I  must 
trespass  on  your  hospitality  for  a  day  or  two." 

"  But  what  is  to  be  finally  done?  "  said  I.  "  The  armistice 
can  never  be  tried  again." 

406 


B  Jfatal  Sign 


"  Why  not?  Do  you  think  that  the  loss  of  a  few  troopers  amriam'e  Su&= 
can  make  any  difference?  Out  of  twenty  thousand  cavalry, 
we  can  easily  spare  a  hundred.  Those  things  have  happened 
once  a  week  since  the  beginning  of  the  campaign.  They  agree 
with  our  notions  admirably.  The  survivors  get  promotion, 
and  whatever  libation  they  may  offer  for  their  good  luck;  it 
is  certainly  not  tears.  A  stupid  officer,  and  on  this  occasion  I 
fairly  reckon  myself  among  the  number,  is  taken  off  the 
muster-roll,  before  he  might  have  the  opportunity  of  doing 
mischief  by  some  blunder  on  a  larger  scale.  Experience  is 
gained;  we  are  entrapped  no  more,  at  least  in  the  .same 
way ;  and  a  group  of  unfortunates,  who  have  spent  half  their 
lives  in  being  browbeaten  by  their  superiors,  suddenly  start 
into  rank,  become  superiors  themselves,  and  learn  to  brow- 
beat in  their  turn.  You  will  have  the  armistice  again  in  a 
week." 

This  confession  of  soldiership  repelled  me  a  little,  but  its 
air  of  frankness  and  disregard  of  chance  and  care  carried  it 
off  showily.  I,  too,  was  but  a  peasant-soldier,  with  my  heart 
in  everything.  The  man  before  me  was  a  son  of  the  camp, 
the  professional  warrior,  whose  business  it  was  to  stifle  all 
feelings  but  those  of  the  camp.  Yet  heroism  and  hard-hearted- 
ness — I  could  not  join  them.  I  had  still  something  to  learn, 
and  the  gay  philosopher  of  the  sword  lost  ground  with  me. 

I  was  retiring  for  the  night  when  I  felt  the  soft  hand  of 
Miriam  on  my  shoulder. 

"  I  have  been  anxious,"  she  said,  "  to  ask  your  opinion  about 
this  Roman." 

Her  fine  countenance,  that  reflected  every  emotion  of  her 
spirit  like  a  mirror,  showed  that  the  subject  was  one  of  deep 
interest.  "  Is  misfortune  always  to  pursue  us,  Salathiel?  " 

"In  what  new  shape  now?"  said  I.  "We  have  spent  some 
hours,  as  amusing  as  I  ever  remember.  What  can  have  oc- 
curred since  this  morning,  when  your  philosophy  made  so 
light  of  our  actual  evils?  " 

"For  external  evils  I  have  but  little  feeling,"  was  her 
answer;  "but  I  see  in  the  chance  that  brought  the  Roman 
here  to-night  something  of  the  fate  which  you  have  so  often 

407 


Cbou  Ctll  f  Come 


Saiatbki  on   thought  to  follow  your  house.     I  tremble  for  Esther's  peace 
Ufa  auarfc     of  mind      What  if  ghe  should  ^  attracted  by  this  idolater?  " 

"Esther!  my  darling  Esther!  love  an  alien,  a  Roman,  an 
idolater?  What  an  abyss  you  open  before  me !  "  I  exclaimed, 
with  a  sudden  sense  of  evil. 

There  was  a  pause ;  my  wife  again  spoke. 

"  While  Septimius  remained  among  us  in  the  mountains,  I 
saw  with  terror  that  Esther's  beauty  attracted  him.  His  Ital- 
ian elegance  was  even  then  a  dangerous  charm  for  a  mind  so 
inexperienced  and  so  sensitive  as  hers.  I  knew  the  impossi- 
bility of  their  union,  and  rejoiced  when  his  recovery  allowed 
of  his  leaving  the  palace.  But  for  a  long  period  after,  Esther 
was  evidently  unhappy ;  her  cheerfulness  gave  way ;  she  be- 
came fonder  of  solitude,  and  I  believe  that  nothing  but  ex- 
treme care  and  the  change  of  scene  which  followed,  preserved 
her  from  the  grave." 

"  Miriam !  I  have  no  comfort  to  offer.  I  am  a  stricken  man ; 
misfortune  must  be  my  portion.  But  if  anything  were  to  be- 
reave me  of  that  girl,  I  feel  that  my  heart  would  break.  We 
must  delay  no  longer.  By  the  first  light  the  Roman  shall  quit 
this  house — this  city.  He  shall  not  stay  another  hour  to 
poison  the  peace  of  my  family — the  only  peace  that  I  now 
can  possess  in  this  world." 

"  Yet  rashness  must  not  disgrace  what  is  true  wisdom,  my 
Salathiel.  The  Roman  is  here  protected  by  the  laws  of  cour- 
tesy. You  can  not  send  him  forth  without  giving  him  over  to 
the  horrid  temper  of  the  populace.  A  few  days  may  make 
that  escape  easy  which  would  now  be  impossible.  Besides,  I 
may  have  done  him  injustice,  and  mistaken  the  common 
pleasure  of  seeing  unexpected  friends  for  the  attempt  to  mis- 
lead the  affections  of  our  innocent  and  ardent  child." 

"  No !  By  the  first  light  he  leaves  this  roof.  The  truth 
.  glares  on  me.  I  might  have  seen  it  in  his  looks.  His  lan- 
guage, however  general,  was  perpetually  directed  to  Esther 
by  some  personal  allusion.  His  voice  lost  its  ease  when  he 
answered  a  syllable  of  hers.  After  she  spoke  he  affected  ab- 
straction— an  old  artifice.  His  manner  is  too  well  calculated 
to  disturb  the  mind  of  woman — and  most  of  all  of  woman 

408 


B  ffatal  Sign 


cursed  with  feeling  and  genius.     Esther  has  already  exalted  -cbc  Ominous 
this  showy  stranger  into  a  wonder.     I  must  break  the  spell.    wor     ppear£ 
What  is  to  become  of  her,  of  me,  man  of  misery?     By  the 
first  dawn  the  Roman  takes  his  departure." 

In  the  bitterness  of  soul  I  turned  from  the  chamber,  where 
the  lamp  was  still  burning  and  the  glittering  table  looked  too 
bright  for  the  gloomy  spirit  of  the  hour.  The  cool  air  that 
breathed  through  a  casement  led  me  toward  it,  and  disin- 
clined to  speak  and  holding  Miriam's  gentle  hand,  I  listened 
to  the  confused  murmurs  of  the  city  far.  below.  I  suddenly 
felt  the  hand  in  mine  tremble  convulsively.  Miriam's  face 
was  pale  with  fear ;  she  stood  with  lips  apart  and  breathless, 
brows  raised,  eyes  straining  upward.  In  utter  alarm  I  asked 
the  cause.  She  lifted  the  hand,  which  had  fallen  by  her  side, 
and  slowly,  like  the  staff  of  the  soothsayer,  pointed  it  to  the 
heavens.  The  cause  was  there.  The  ominous  sword  had  for 
the  first  time  met  her  eye.  The  blaze,  which  even  in  noonday 
was  fearfully  visible,  in  midnight  was  tremendous.  A  blade 
of  the  deepest  hue  of  gore  stretched  to  the  horizon,  pouring 
from  its  edge  perpetual  showers  of  crimson  flame,  that  looked 
like  showers  of  fresh  blood.  Boundless  slaughter  was  in 
the  emblem.  Beyond  it  the  circle  of  the  sky  was  wan ;  the 
stars  sickened,  and  the  moon,  tho  at  the  full,  hung  like  an 
orb  of  lead.  The  mighty  falchion,  the  pledge  of  an  inevi- 
table judgment,49  extinguished  all  the  beneficent  splendors  of 
heaven. 

"  There,  there  is  the  sign  that  I  have  seen  for  months  in 
my  dreams,"  said  Miriam  in  an  awed  voice ;  "  that  has  haunted 
me  when  I  laid  my  head  upon  the  pillow ;  that  has  been  be- 
fore my  mind  in  the  day  wherever  I  moved ;  that  I  have  seen 
coloring  every  object,  every  moment  of  my  life  since  I  entered 
these  fated  walls.  I  have  struggled  to  drive  away  the  horrid 
image ;  I  have  wept  and  prayed.  But  it  was  where  nothing 
could  unfix  it.  It  was  pictured  on  my  soul,  and  with  it  came 
other  images,  fearful,  tho  they  brought  me  no  terrors — 
melancholy  sights  to  those  who  have  no  hope  but  here,  yet 
glorious  to  the  servants  of  the  truth,  Salathiel.  I  have  had 
warnings.  I  must  never  leave  the  city  of  David." 

409 


Garrg  Gbou  GUI  1  Come 


She  knelt  in  the  deep  prayer  of  the  soul.    Her  words  caane 
torts  Sa  tbtei  Qn  mg  w  j^  fae  pOwer  of  prophecy. 

"King  and  protector  of  Israel!  "  I  exclaimed,  "is  this  to  be 
the  suffering  of  Thy  people?  On  me  let  Thy  wrath  be  done, 
but  spare  her  who  now  kneels  before  Thee.  Are  the  pure  to  be 
given  into  the  hands  of  the  merciless  and  Thy  children  to  be 
trampled  as  the  ashes  of  the  unholy?  " 

My  impatient  voice  caught  Miriam's  ear,  and  she  rose  with 
a  countenance  beaming  piety  and  love. 

"  Salathiel,  we  must  not  murmur.  Even  that  sight  of  awe, 
that  terrible  emblem,  has  taught  me  the  selfishness  of  my 
anxieties.  What  are  our  personal  sorrows  to  the  weight  of 
affliction  figured  in  that  instrument  of  supreme  justice?  The 
wo  of  millions,  the  blood  of  a  nation,  the  ruin  of  the  glorious 
Law,  built  by  the  hands  of  the  Eternal,  for  the  glory  and 
good  of  mankind,  are  written  in  words  of  flame  before  our 
eyes ;  and  can  I  complain  of  the  perils  which  may  fall  to  my 
share?  Henceforth,  my  husband  and  my  love " — and  she 
threw  herself  into  my  willing  arms — "you  shall  never  be  dis- 
turbed with  my  sorrows ;  exercise  your  own  powerful  under- 
standing, guard  against  evil  by  your  talents  and  knowledge  of 
life,  as  far  as  it  can  be  guarded  against  by  man,  and  beyond 
that,  cease  to  repine  or  fear.  In  my  supplication  I  have  com- 
mitted our  darling  child  into  the  hands  of  Him.  who  sitteth 
within  the  circle  of  eternity !  " 

Quivering  with  every  finer  feeling  of  the  heart,  maternal 
love,  matron  faith,  and  grateful  adoration,  she  hung  upon  my 
neck,  until  as  if  a  portion  of  her  noble  spirit  had  passed  into 
mine,  I  felt  a  confidence  and  a  consolation  like  her  own. 


410 


CHAPTER  LIV 

Concerning  Septimias 

I    WAS    spared   the   ungraciousness   of  urging   the   young  Werei,  an&  Q 
soldier's  departure,  for  when  I  met  him  on  the  next  morning       Picioua 
his  first  topic  was  escape.    He  had  been  since  daybreak  ex- 
amining from  my  turrets  the  accessible  passages  of  the  forti- 
fications, and  had  even,  by  the  help  of  a  peasant,  despatched 
a  letter  to  his  friends,  requesting  either  a  formal  demand  of 
his  person  from  the  Jews,  or  some  private  effort  to  extricate 
him. 

But  this  glow  of  society  was  transient.  In  the  fall  of  his 
charger  he  had  been  violently  bruised.  He  now  complained  of 
inward  suffering,  and  his  pallid  face  and  feeble  words  gave 
painful  proof  that  he  had  much  still  to  undergo,  tho,  even 
if  he  was  perfectly  recovered,  the  crowded  battlements  and 
the  popular  rage  showed  the  impossibility  of  immediate  re- 
turn. 

Three  days  passed  thus  drearily.  At  home  I  was  surrounded 
by  sickness  or  vexed  by  suspicion — the  worst  sickness  of  the 
mind.  Septiuiius  lay  in  his  chamber,  struggling  to  laugh, 
talk,  and  read  away  the  heavy  hours,  and  finally,  like  all 
such  stragglers,  giving  up  the  task  in  despair.  His  thoughts 
were  in  the  Roman  camp.  He  professed  gratitude  of  the  deep- 
est nature  for  the  service  that  I  had  done  him  now  for  the 
second  time,  if  saving  so  unimportant  a  life  was  a  service 
either  to  him  or  any  one  else.  Yet  he  almost  wished  that  he 
had  been  left  where  he  was  found. 

At  such  times  his  voice  sank,  and  he  was  evidently  thinking 
of  subjects  near  to  his  heart. 

Then  his  soldiership  would  come  again — a  man  could  not 
finish  his  course  better  than  among  his  gallant  comrades ;  and 

411 


Cbou  Sill  f  Come 


tches  b$  a  with  all  his  anxiety  to  return,  ha  felt  no  trivial  concern  as 
to  the  view  which  Titus  might  take  of  the  whole  unfortunate 
affair.  Of  justice  he  was  secure ;  but  to  be  questioned  for  his 
military  conduct  was  in  itself  a  degradation.  The  loss  of 
Sempronius,  too,  the  most  confidential  friend  and  counselor 
of  the  Emperor,  would  weigh  heavily — while  there  was  nothing 
but  his  own  testimony  to  sustain  his  honor  against  the  crowd 
of  secret  enemies  that  every  man  of  military  rank  was  certain 
to  have. 

"In  short,"  said  he,  "on  my  sleepless  couch  I  have  turned 
true  penitent  for  the  foolish  curiosity  which  prompted  me  to 
solicit  the  command  of  an  escort,  which  would  have  been  by 
right  put  under  the  care  of  some  mere  tribune." 

I  tried  to  cheer  him  by  saying  that  his  had  been  only  the 
natural  desire  of  an  active  mind  to  see  so  singular  a  scene  as 
our  city  offered,  or  the  honorable  wish  of  a  soldier  to  be  fore- 
most wherever  there  was  anything  to  be  done. 

"It  was  more  than  either,"  said  he;  "there  was  actual 
illusion  in  the  case.  I  now  feel  that  I  was  practised  upon. 
You  know  the  strange  concourse  of  all  kinds  of  people  that 
follow  a  camp  for  all  kinds  of  purposes — plunderers,  traders, 
and  jugglers,  crowding  on  our  movements  as  regularly  as  the 
vultures,  and  with  nearly  the  same  objects.  For  a  week  past 
I  had  found  myself  beset  by  an  old  gibbering  slave  of  this 
class.  Wherever  I  rode,  the  fellow  was  before  my  eyes ;  he 
contrived  to  mingle  with  my  servants,  and  became  a  sort  of 
favorite  by  selling  them  counterfeit  rings  and  gems  at  ten 
times  their  value.  The  wretch  was  clever,  too,  and  as  my 
tent-hours  began  to  be  disturbed  by  the  unusual  gaiety  of  the 
listeners  to  his  lies,  I  ordered  him  to  be  flogged  out  of  the  lines. 
But  twelve  hours  had  not  passed  before  I  found  him  gambol- 
ing again,  and  was  about  to  order  the  instant  infliction  of  the 
discipline,  when  he  threw  himself  on  the  ground  and  implored 
'a  moment  of  my  secret  ear.'  Conceive  who  the  fellow  was?  " 

"  The  impostor  who  harangued  in  the  square !  " 

"The  very  man.  He  told  me  that  there  were  certain  con- 
trivances on  foot  to  bring  me  into  disfavor  with  the  general, 
which  I  knew  to  be  the  fact.  He  gave  me  the  names  of  the 

412 


Concerning  Septimius 


parties,  which  I  felt  to  be  sufficiently  probable,  and  finished 
by  saying  that,  having  so  long  eaten  of  my  bread  (a  week),  and  et 

enjoyed  my  liberality  (the  scourge),  he  longed  to  show  his 
gratitude  by  giving  me  an  opportunity  of  putting  my  enemies 
to  silence  on  the  spot.  This  opportunity  was  to  solicit  the 
command  of  the  escort  required  for  the  mission.  How  he 
gained  his  wisdom  I  know  not,  but  I  took  the  advice,  went  at 
once  to  Titus,  found  that  an  armistice  was  being  debated  in 
council,  that  there  was  some  difficulty  in  the  choice  of  an 
officer  for  the  service  (by  no  means  likely  to  be  a  sinecure  in 
point  of  either  judgment  or  hazard),  stepped  forward,  and,  to 
the  surprise  of  everybody,  disclaimed  the  privileges  of  my  rank 
and  insisted  on  marching  at  the  head  of  this  handful,  this 
outpost-guard,  into  the  formidable  city  of  Jerusalem. " 

"His  object,  of  course,"  said  I,  "was  your  destruction.  I 
now  see  the  cause  of  the  harangue  that  roused  the  people ;  he 
was  in  the  pay  of  the  conspirators  against  you.  Yet  his  ap- 
pearance was  striking ;  there  was  a  vigor  about  his  look  and 
language,  a  fierce  consciousness  of  power  somewhere,  that 
distinguished  him  from  his  race.  He  came,  too,  and  has  dis- 
appeared, without  my  being  able  to  discover  whence  or 
whither." 

"Oh,  the  commonest  contrivance  of  his  trade,"  was  the 
reply.  "  Those  fellows  always  come  and  go  in  cloud,  if  they 
can.  He  was  probably  beside  you  half  the  day  before  and 
after.  You  saw  how  little  he  thought  of  the  lance,  that  I  sent 
to  bring  out  his  hidden  secrets.  He  doubtless  wore  armor ; 
otherwise  there  would  have  been  one  juggler  the  less  in  the 
world.  The  truth  is,  I  have  been  duped,  but  I  have  made  up 
my  mind  to  think  nothing  about  the  dupery.  The  slave  is 
certainly  clever,  perhaps  to  au  extraordinary  degree — a  vil- 
lain undoubtedly,  and  of  the  first  magnitude.  But  he  has  the 
secret  of  the  cabal  against  me,  and  that  secret  makes  him  at 
once  fit  to  be  employed,  and  dangerous  to  be  provoked.  The 
blow  of  the  lance  yesterday  showed  him  that  I  am  not  always 
to  be  trifled  with.  In  fact,  prince,  you  might  find  it  advan- 
tageous to  employ  him  occasionally  yourself.  It  was  he  who 
conveyed  my  letter  to  the  camp  this  morning !  " 

413 


Oftou  GUI  1  Come 


Secret  prepaa      My  look  probably  expressed  my  dislike  of   this  species  of 
rations  for 
Departure      envoy. 

"You  may  rely  on  my  honor,"  said  the  Roman,  "not  to 
involve  you  in  any  of  the  fellow's  inventions.  Slippery  as  he 
is,  I  have  a  hold  on  him,  too,  that  he  will  not  venture  to 
shake  off.  And  now,  to  let  you  into  full  confidence,  I  expect 
him  back  this  very  night,  when  he  will  relieve  your  city  of  an 
inhabitant  unworthy  of  remaining  among  so  polished  a  people ; 
and  your  house,  niy  prince,  of  an  inmate  than  whom  none  on 
earth  can  be  more  grateful  for  your  hospitality." 

He  concluded  this  mixture  of  levity,  address,  and  frank- 
ness with  a  smile,  and  in  a  tone  of  elegance,  that  compelled 
me  to  take  it  all  on  the  more  favorable  side.  But  against 
suffering  the  step  of  his  strange  emissary  to  pollute  the 
threshold  in  which  I  lived,  I  expressed  my  plain  determina- 
tion. 

"  For  that,  too,  I  have  provided,"  said  he.  "  My  intercourse 
with  the  reprobate  is  to  take  place  at  another  quarter  of  the 
city,  as  far  as  possible  from  this  dwelling,"  and  he  laughed, 
"  for  reasons  equally  of  mine  and  yours.  I  have  managed  mat- 
ters so  as  not  to  compromise  any  of  my  friends ;  and  to  make 
my  arrangements  on  that  point  still  more  secure,  may  I  ex- 
press a  wish  that  neither  Constantius  nor  any  other  person  of 
your  house  may  be  acquainted  with  my  intention  of  leaving 
them,  and  I  may  sincerely  s^y,  leaving  everything  that  could 
gratify  my  best  feelings — this  very  evening." 

This  was  an  easy  and  graceful  avoidance  of  the  difficulties 
which  his  longer  residence  threatened.  I  gave  him  the 
promise  of  secrecy,  cautioning  him  against  reposing  any  dan- 
gerous confidence  in  his  emissary,  of  whom  I  had  an  irre- 
pressible abhorrence,  and  was  about  to  leave  the  chamber  when 
he  caught  my  hand  and  said  in  unusual  emotion : 

"  Prince  of  Naphtali,  I  have  but  one  word  more  to  say.  You 
are  a  man  of  the  world  and  can  make  allowance  for  the  gid- 
diness of  human  passions.  Some  of  them  are  uncontrollable, 
or  at  least  I  have  never  learned  to  control  them,  and  in  me 
perhaps  they  belong  to  inferiority  of  mind.  But  if  on  my  de- 
parture you  should  hear  calumnies  against  me " 

414 


Concerning  Septimius 


"Impossible,  my  young  friend;  or   if  I  should,  you  may     Septfmfas 
T  .    •        ,i_          i  •    ,  i     •    n  ,,  flDtsunJ>er8tooJ> 

rely  on  my  giving  the  calumniators  a  very  brief  answer. 

"  Or  if  even  yourself  should  be  disposed  to  think  severely 
of  me,  you  know  the  circumstances  under  which  a  man  of 
birth  and  fortune  must  be  placed  in  our  profession." 

"Fully,  and  am  much  more  disposed  to  regret  than  to 
wonder  at  the  consequences." 

"  If  you  should  hear  that  I  had  been  assailed  in  an  evil 
hour  by  an  unexpected  temptation  which  I  had  long  labored 
to  resist,  assailed  by  it  under  the  most  powerful  circumstances 
that  ever  yet  tasked  the  human  mind,  circumstances  to  which, 
from  the  beginning  of  the  world,  wisdom  has  been  proverbially 
folly,  and  resolution  weakness ;  if  it  should  have  mastered  my 
whole  being,  soul  and  body ;  if  I  were  willing  to  give  up  the 
brightest  prospects  for  its  possession — to  hazard  life,  hope, 
honors 

The  thought  of  Esther  smote  me.  I  started  from  him  where 
he  stood,  with  his  fine  head  drooping  like  the  Antinous  and 
his  figure  the  very  emblem  of  passionate  dejection. 

"Roman,  you  are  here  as  my  guest,  and  as  such  I  have 
listened  to  you  with  patience  until  now.  But  if  any  member 
of  my  family  is  concerned  in  what  you  say,  I  demand  in  the 
most  distinct  terms  that  the  subject  shall  be  mentioned  no 
more.  The  daughters  of  Israel  are  sacred.  Never  shall  a 
child  of  mine  wed  with  those  who  now  lord  it  over  my  un- 
happy country." 

He  spread  his  hands  and  eyes  in  the  broadest  astonishment. 

"  Prince,  can  it  be  possible  that  you  have  so  totally  mis- 
taken me?  My  perplexities  are  of  an  entirely  different  nature. 
The  chain  with  which  I  am  bound  is  not  of  roses,  but  of  iron; 
a  chain  of  invisible,  yet  stern  influences,  that  haunt  my  night, 
and  even  my  day." 

His  voice  faltered,  and  he  turned  away  with  a  shudder,  as 
from  a  visionary  tormentor. 

"  What?  Has  that  man  of  desperate  arts,  if  he  be  man,  in- 
volved you,  too,  in  his  net?  Dares  the  impostor  soar  so  high?" 

He  clasped  his  hands. 

"You   saw  how  he  defied,  how  he  mocked  me,  how  he 

415 


Gbou  Ctll  fl  Come 


Se  a  fl>an—  spurned  rae  when  my  abhorrence  rose  to  the  madness  of  at- 
tempting to  strike  him.  I  might  as  well  have  flung  the 
weapon  at  the  clouds.  You  saw  the  instinctive  terror  of  my 
charger.  That  animal  was  celebrated  in  our  whole  cavalry  for 
its  bold,  nay,  fierce  courage.  Yet  before  the  eye  of  that  man 
of  power  and  evil,  it  cowered  like  a  hare  and  died  of  his 
glance.  By  him  the  temptation  has  been  offered;  of  its  nature 
I  dare  not  speak ;  but  it  is  dazzling,  fearful,  and  must — I  feel 
it— finally  be  fatal." 

"Then  cast  it  from  you  at  once.    Be  a  man — a  hero." 
"  It  is  hopeless  — I  must  be  the  victim ;  I  am  bound  irre- 
trievably.    Farewell,    prince;   we   shall   see   each   other   no 
more." 

He  flung  himself  upon  the  couch.  I  offered  him  assistance, 
advice,  consolation  in  vain.  The  spirit  of  the  soldier  was  ex- 
tinguished. The  victim  of  fantastic  illusion  lay  before  me. 
I  left  him  to  the  care  of  the  old  domestics,  and  when  I  closed 
the  door,  thought  that  I  had  closed  the  door  of  the  grave. 


416 


CHAPTER  LV 

Salaihiel  a  Prisoner 

DURING  this  period  the  city  presented  the  turbulent  aspect  Ube  wantts  of 
that  must  result  from  the  concourse  of  vast  warlike  multi- 
tudes, known  only  by  hereditary  bickerings.  The  clansman,  of 
Judah  looked  down  upon  every  human  being;  and  his  country- 
men among  the  rest.  The  Benjamite  retorted  it,  boasted  of 
the  inheritance  of  Jerusalem,  and  looked  down  upon  the  men 
of  the  Galilees  as  rioters  and  plunderers.  These,  too,  had 
their  objects  of  scorn,  and  the  remnants  of  Dan  and  Ephraim 
were  held  in  merciless  disdain  as  the  descendants  of  rebels 
and  idolaters.  To  deepen  those  ancient  feuds  were  thrown  in 
the  mutual  injuries  of  the  factions  of  John  and  Simon.  Their 
leaders  were  now  but  the  shadow  of  what  they  had  been ;  yet 
the  memory  of  their  mischiefs  survived  with  a  keenness  ag- 
gravated by  the  public  discovery  of  the  insignificance  of  the 
instruments. 

Genius  in  the  tyrant  offers  the  consolation  that  if  the  chain 
has  galled  us,  it  has  been  bound  by  a  hand  made  for  supremacy. 
But  the  last  misery  of  the  slave  is  to  have  been  bound  by  a 
creature  even  more  contemptible  than  himself;  to  have  given 
to  folly  the  homage  due  to  talent ;  to  have  stooped  before  the 
base  and  trembled  under  the  feeble. 

The  obvious  alarm,  of  the  enemy,  who  had  now  totally  with- 
drawn from,  the  plain  and  were  occupied  with  raising  rampart 
on  rampart  round  their  several  camps ;  the  triumph  over  the 
unfortunate  troop ;  and  the  excitement  of  a  crowd  of  pretended 
prophets  and  frantic  visionaries,  filled  the  populace  with  every 
vanity  of  conquest.  The  constant  exclamation  in  the  streets 
was :  "  Let  us  march  to  storm  the  camps  and  drive  the  idol- 
ater into  the  sea !  "  But  the  new  luxuries  of  the  city  were  too 
Congenial  not  to  act  as  formidable  rivals  to  the  popular  am- 

27  417 


Carrg  Gbou  Gill  f  Come 


Sabat'8  bition.  No  leader  appeared,  the  boastings  passed  away,  and 
the  boiling  temperament  of  the  warrior  had  time  to  run  into 
the  safer  channel  of  words  and  wine. 

Still  one  melancholy  reminder  was  there.  Through  the 
wildest  festivity,  through  the  groups  of  drinking,  dancing, 
bravadoing,  and  quarreling,  Sabat  the  Ishmaelite  moved  day 
after  day,  from  dawn  till  evening,  pouring  out  his  sentences 
of  condemnation.  Nothing  could  be  more  singular  or  more 
awful  than  his  figure  as  the  denouncer  of  ruin  hurried  along, 
like  a  being  denuded  of  all  objects  in  life  but  the  one.  The 
multitude  in  their  most  extravagant  excesses  felt  undissem- 
bled  fear  before  him.  I  have  seen  the  most  ferocious  tumult 
stilled  by  the  sound  of  his  portentous  voice ;  the  dagger  in- 
stantly sheathed ;  the  head  buried  in  the  garment ;  the  form 
often  prostrate  until  he  passed  by.  Where  he  went  the  song 
of  license  was  dumb ;  the  dance  ceased ;  the  cup  fell  from  the 
hand;  and  many  a  lip  of  violence  and  blasphemy  quivered 
with  long-forgotten  prayer. 

How  he  sustained  life  none  could  tell.  He  was  reduced  to 
a  shadow ;  his  eye  had  the  yellow  glare  of  blindness ;  his  once 
raven  hair  was  of  the  whiteness  of  flax.  He  was  an  animated 
corpse.  But  he  strode  onward  with  a  force  which,  if  few  at- 
tempted to  resist,  none  seemed  able  to  withstand;  his  ges- 
tures were  rapid  and  nervous  to  an  extraordinary  degree,  and 
his  voice  was  overwhelming.  It  had  the  rush  and  volume  of 
a  powerful  blast.  Even  in  the  clamor  of  the  day,  through  the 
innumerable  voices  of  the  streets,  it  was  audible  from  the  re- 
motest quarters  of  the  city.  I  heard  it  through  the  tread  and 
shouts  of  fifty  thousand  marching  men.  But  in  twilight  and 
silence  the  eternal  "  Wo ! — wo ! — wo !  "  howled  along  the 
air  with  a  sound  that  told  of  nothing  human. 

His  unfortunate  bride  still  followed  him,  never  uttering  a 
word,  never  looking  but  on  him.  She  glided  along  with  him 
in  his  swiftest  course,  as  bound  by  a  spell  to  wander  where 
he  wandered,  an  unconscious  slave ;  her  form  almost  a  shadow ; 
without  a  sound,  a  gesture,  or  a  glance — her  feet  alone  moved. 

I  often  attempted  to  render  this  undone  pair  some  assist- 
ance. Sabat  recognized  me,  and  returned  brief  thanks,  and 

418 


Salatbiel  a  prisoner 


perhaps  I  was  the  only  man  in  Jerusalem  to  whom  he  vouch-    Saiatbiei'g 
safed  either  thanks  or  memory.    But  he  uniformly  refused  aid 
of  every  kind,  and  reproaching  himself  for  the  moment  given 
to  human  recollections,  burst  away  and  again  began  his  denun- 
ciation of  "  Wo ! — wo ! — wo !  " 

The  hope  of  treaty  with  the  besiegers  was  now  nearly 
desperate ;  yet  I  felt  so  deeply  the  ruin  that  must  follow  pro- 
tracted war  that  I  had  labored  with  incessant  anxiety  to  bring 
the  people  to  a  sense  of  their  situation.  My  name  was  high ; 
my  decided  refusal  of  all  command  gave  me  an  influence 
which  threw  more  grasping  ambition  into  the  shade ;  and  the 
leading  men  of  Jerusalem  were  glad  to  delegate  their  power 
to  me,  with  the  double  object  of  relieving  themselves  from  an 
effort  to  which  they  were  unequal,  and  from  a  responsibility 
under  which  even  their  covetousness  had  begun  to  tremble. 

But  Jerusalem  was  not  to  be  saved;™  there  was  an  op- 
posing fatality — an  irresistible,  intangible  power  arrayed 
against  all  efforts.  I  felt  it  at  my  first  step.  If  I  had  been 
treading  on  a  volcano  and  heard  it  roar  under  me,  I  could  not 
have  been  made  more  sensible  of  the  hollowness  and  hope- 
lessness of  every  effort  to  save  the  nation.  In  the  -midst  of 
our  most  according  council  some  luckless  impediment  was 
sure  to  start  up.  While  we  seemed  on  the  verge  of  concilia- 
ting and  securing  the  most  important  interests,  to  that  verge 
we  were  suddenly  forbidden  all  approach.  Communications 
actually  commenced  with  the  Eoman  general,  and  which 
promised  the  most  certain  results,  were  broken  off,  none  could 
tell  how.  There  was  an  antagonist  somewhere,  but  beyond 
our  grasp ;  a  hostility  as  powerful,  as  constant,  and  as  little 
capable  of  being  counteracted  as  the  hostility  of  the  plague. 

After  my  final  conversation  with  Septimius,  I  had  spent  the 
day  in  one  of  those  perplexing  deliberations,  and  was  return- 
ing with  a  weary  heart  when,  in  an  obscure  street  leading  into 
the  Upper  City,  I  was  roused  from  my  reverie  by  the  sound 
of  one  of  our  mountain  songs.  Music  has  been  among  my 
chief  solaces  through  existence,  and  the  song  of  Naphtali  in 
that  moment  of  depression  keenly  moved  me.  I  stopped  to 
listen  in  front  of  the  minstrel's  tent,  in  which  a  circle  of  sol- 

419 


Gbou  Stll  1f  Come 


diers  and  shepherds  from  the  Galilees  were  sitting  over  their 
cups.  His  skill  deserved  a  higher  audience.  He  touched  his 
little  harp  with  elegance  to  a  voice  that  reminded  me  of  the 
sportiveness  and  wild  melody  of  a  bird  in  spring.  The  moon- 
light shone  through  the  tent,  and  as  the  boy  sat  under  its 
large  white  folds  in  the  fantastic  dress  of  his  art — a  loose 
vermilion  robe,  belted  with  sparkling  stones,  and  turban  of 
yellow  silk,  that  drooped  upon  his  shoulder  like  a  golden 
pinion— he  resembled  the  Persian  pictures  of  the  Peri  em- 
bosomed in  the  bell  of  the  lily.  The  rude  and  dark-featured 
listeners  round  him  might  well  have  sat  for  the  swart  demons 
submissive  to  his  will. 

But  thoughts  soon  returned  that  were  not  to  be  soothed  by 
music,  and  throwing  some  pieces  of  money  to  the  boy,  I 
hastened  on.  The  departure  of  the  young  Roman  and  the  in- 
fluence that  it  might  have  on  my  family,  and  peculiarly  on 
the  mind  of  a  creature  doubly  endeared  to  me  by  a  strange 
and  melancholy  similitude  to  the  temper  of  my  own  excitable 
mind,  deeply  occupied  me,  and  it  was  even  with  some  pre- 
sentiment of  evil  that  I  reached  home. 

The  first  sound  that  I  heard  was  the  lamentation  of  the  old 
domestics.  But  I  could  not  wait  to  solve  their  unintelligible 
attempts  to  explain  the  disaster.  I  flew  to  my  family. 
Miriam  was  absorbed  in  profound  sorrow ;  Salome  was  in  loud 
affliction.  Dreading  everything  that  could  be  told  me,  yet 
with  that  sullen  hardihood  which  long  misfortune  gives,  I 
took  my  wife's  hands  and  in  a  voice  struggling  for  composure 
desired  her  to  tell  me  the  worst  at  once. 

"  Esther  is  gone !  "  was  her  answer. 

She  could  articulate  no  more ;  the  effort  to  speak  this  shook 
her  whole  frame.  But  Salome  broke  out  into  loud  reprobation 
of  the  baseness  of  the  wretch  who  had  turned  our  hospitality 
into  a  snare,  and  whose  lite,  twice  saved,  was  employed  only 
to  bring  misery  on  his  preserver. 

The  blow  fell  upon  me  with  the  keenness  of  a  sword. 

"Was  Esther,  was  my  daughter,  my  innocent,  darling 
Esther,  consenting  to  this  flight?  " 

"I  know  not,"  said  Miriam.     "I  dare  not  ask  myself  the 

420 


Salatbiel  a  prisoner 


question.     If  she  can  have  forgotten  her  duty  to  follow  the  Saiatbfel  <Soea 
stranger;  if  she  can  have  left  her  parents — no.     It  must  have  totbe    C9Cue 
been  through  some  horrid  artifice.     But  the  thought  is  too 
bitter.     Raise  no  more  such  thoughts  in  my  mind." 

She  sank  in  silence.  But  Salome  was  not  to  be  restrained. 
She  asserted  the  total  impossibility  of  Esther's  having  thrown 
off  her  allegiance  to  religion  and  filial  duty. 

"  She  must  have  been,"  said  this  generous  and  enthusiastic 
being,  "either  subjected  to  those  dreadful  arts  in  which  the 
idolaters  deal,  or  carried  away  by  force.  Constantius  has  gone 
already  in  search  of  her;  feeble  as  he  is,  he  determined  to 
discover  the  robber,  and  tho  his  step:;  were  weak  and  the 
effort  may  hazard  his  life,  he  would  not  be  restrained,  nor 
would  I  restrain  him  where  I  should  have  so  much  rejoiced  to 
hazard  my  own." 

I  rose  to  depart.     Miriam  clung  to  me. 

"  Must  I  lose  all,  Salathiel?  " 

"  I  am  the  guilty  one,  wife !  I  should  have  guarded  against 
this.  I  alone  am  to  blame.  I  will  recover  Esther.  Without 
her  we  all  should  be  miserable.  The  Roman  general  is  just. 
I  will  demand  her  of  Septimius  in  his  presence.  Miriam! 
you  shall  see  your  child.  Salome !  you  shall  see  your  sister. 
And  now,  come  to  my  heart— come  both;  my  last  hope  of 
happiness,  the  remnant  of  all  that  once  promised  to  fill  my 
declining  days  with  peace  and  prosperity.  Weep  no  more, 
Miriam,  Salome !  I  must  not  be  unmanned  at  this  time  of 
trial.  Go  to  your  chambers  and  pray  for  me.  Farewell!  " 

It  was  nearly  midnight  and  the  city  sounds  were  hushed, 
except  where  the  crowds,  which  still  poured  in,  struggled  for 
their  quarters.  The  very  fear  of  being  thus  disturbed  kept  \ip 
the  disturbance  of  the  population,  and  in  the  leading  avenues 
the  tents  showed  fierce  watchers  against  this  violence  sitting 
round  their  tables,  until  wine  either  sent  them  to  sleep  or 
roused  them  into  daggers-drawing.  Subordination  was  now 
at  an  end ;  plunder  and  blood  were  to  be  dreaded  by  every 
man  who  ventured  among  those  champions  of  freedom  and 
property ;  and  more  than  once  this  night  I  was  compelled  to 
show  that  I  wore  a  weapon. 

421 


TTarrt>  tTbou  £fll  H  Come 


Saiatbid'a  ©to  Yet  the  disorder  which  left  the  city  a  seat  of  dissolute  riot 
was  not  suffered  to  interfere  with  its  actual  defense.  That 
singular  mixture  of  rabble  giddiness  and  sacred  care  which 
distinguished  my  countrymen  above  all  nations  was  fully  dis- 
played in  those  final  hours,  and  the  walls  that  enclosed  a 
million  of  rioters  and  robbers  were  guarded  with  the  .solemn 
vigilance  of  a  sanctuary. 

No  argument  could  prevail  with  the  peasantry  at  the  gates 
to  let  me  pass.  My  rank,  and  even  my  public  name,  went  for 
little  in  the  scale  against  the  possibility  of  my  renewing  the 
treaty  with  an  enemy  whom  they  now  scorned,  and  1  was 
doubting  whether  I  must  not  lose  the  night  by  the  reluctance 
of  those  rough  but  honest  sentinels,  when  I  was  cheered  by 
seeing  one  of  the  head  men  of  their  tribe  arrive.  He  had  been 
a  furious  partizan ;  honor  and  honesty  were  his  declared  wor- 
ship, and  his  horror  of  humbler  motives  was  fierceness  itself. 
This  was  enough  for  me.  I  knew  what  public  vehemence 
means.  I  took  him  aside,  without  ceremony  put  gold  into  his 
grasp,  and  saw  the  gate  thrown  open  before  me  by  the  im- 
maculate hand  of  the  patriotic  Jonathan. 

While  I  had  scarcely  congratulated  myself  on  having 
passed  this  formidable  barrier  and  was  still  within  the  de- 
fenses, the  trampling  of  horse  echoed  on  the  road.  The  night 
was  clear,  and  there  was  no  hope  of  avoiding  them.  A  large 
body  of  Idumean  horsemen  came  on,  escorting  wagons  of  pro- 
vision. The  foremost  riders  were  half  asleep,  and  I  was  in 
strong  hope  of  eluding  them  all  when  one  of  the  drivers,  in 
the  wantonness  of  authority,  laid  his  whip  on  me.  I  rashly 
returned  the  blow,  and  the  man  fell  off  his  horse.  I  was  sin- 
rounded,  charged  with  murder;  was  brought  before  their 
chieftain,  and  found  that  chieftain  Onias! 

My  old  enemy  recognized  me  instantly,  and  with  undying 
revenge  firing  every  feature  demanded  whither  I  was  going. 

"To  the  Roman  camp,"  was  the  direct  answer. 

"The  purpose?  " 

"To  have  an  interview  with  the  Roman  general." 

"  You  come  deputed  by  the  authorities?  " 

"By  not  one  of  them." 

422 


Salatbiel  a  prisoner 


I  loner  ago  knew  you  to  be  a  daring  fellow,  but  you  ex-  Ube  iRfgbt  of 
'    .    .  „/  ,  -P  T  i  I.    tbe  Stronger 

ceed  my  opinion.     \\e  can  not  spare  neroes  from  Jerusalem  at 

this  time ;  you  must  turn  back  with  us. " 

"By  what  right?" 

"  By  the  right  of  the  stronger. " 

"  With  what  object?  " 

"  That  you  may  be  hanged  as  a  deserter.  It  will  save  you 
the  trouble  of  going  to  Titus,  to  be  hanged  as  a  spy." 

I  disdained  reply,  and  in  the  midst  of  a  circle  of  barbarians 
exulting  over  their  capture,  as  if  they  had  taken  the  chief 
enemy  of  the  state,  was  marched  back  to  the  walls. 

There  I  was  not  the  only  person  disturbed  by  the  adven- 
ture. The  first  glimpse  of  me  caught  by  Jonathan  exhibited 
everything  that  could  be  ludicrous  in  the  shape  of  consterna- 
tion. To  the  inquiries  how  I  was  suffered  to  pass  he  answered 
by  an  appeal  to  his  "honor,"  which  he  again  valued,  in  my 
presence  too,  "  as  the  most  invaluable  possession  of  the  citizen 
soldier."  He  said  the  words  without  a  blush,  and  I  even 
listened  to  them  without  a  smile.  He  probably  trembled  a 
little  for  his  bribe ;  but  he  soon  discovered  by  my  look  that  I 
considered  the  money  as  too  far  gone  to  be  worth  pursuing. 

Yet  Onias,  who  seemed  to  know  him  as  well  as  I,  fixed  on 
him  a  scrutinizing  aspect,  of  all  others  the  most  hateful  to  a 
delicate  conscience,  and  his  only  resource  was  to  heap  op- 
probrium upon  me. 

"How  I  had  contrived  to  escape  the  guard,"  said  Jonathan, 
"was  totally  inconceivable,  unless  it  was  by" — I  gave  him  an 
assuring  glance — "by  imposing  on  the  credulity  of  some  of 
the  ignorant  peasants;  possibly  even  by  direct  corruption. 
But  to  put  the  matter  out  of  future  possibility  he  would  pro- 
ceed to  examine  the  prisoner's  person." 

He  proceeded  accordingly,  and  from  my  sash  took  my 
purse,  as  a  public  precaution.  He  was  a  vigilant  guardian  of 
the  state,  for  the  purse  was  never  restored. 

Onias  looked  at  him  during  his  harangue  with  a  countenance 
between  contempt  and  ridicule. 

"I  must  go  forward  now,"  said  he;  "but,  captain,  see  to 
your  prisoner.  He  must  answer  before  the  council  to-mor- 

423 


Carrg  Cbcu  Cill  1  Come 


Saiatbiel  row,  and  as  you  have  so  worthily  disabled  him  from  opera- 
0\ower"  *  tions  with  the  guard,  your  own  head  is  answerable  for  his 
safe-keeping." 

My  enemy,  to  make  all  sure,  himself  saw  me  lodged  within 
the  tower  over  the  gate,  comforted  his  soul  by  a  parting 
promise  that  my  time  was  come,  and  rode  off  with  his  Idu- 
rneans — to  the  boundless  satisfaction  of  the  scrupulous  and 
much-alarmed  Jonathan. 

The  tower  was  massive,  and  there  was  no  probability  that 
anything  less  than  a  Roman  battering-ram  would  ever  lay 
open  its  solid  sides.  The  captain  had  recovered  his  virtue  at 
the  instant  of  my  losing  my  purse,  and  I  now  could  no  more 
dream  of  sapping  his  integrity  than  of  sapping  the  huge 
blocks  of  the  tower.  Whether  I  was  to  be  prisoner  for  the 
night,  or  for  the  siege,  or  to  glut  the  ax  by  morning,  were 
questions  which  lay  in  the  bosom  of  as  implacable  a  villain 
as  long-delayed  revenge  ever  made  malignant ;  but  what  was 
to  become  of  my  child,  of  my  family,  of  my  share  in  the 
great  cause,  for  which  alone  life  was  of  value? 

The  chamber  to  which  I  was  consigned  was  at  the  top  of 
the  tower  and  overlooked  a  vast  extent  of  country.  Before  me 
were  the  Roman  camps,  seen  clearly  in  the  moonlight,  and 
wrapt  in  silence,  except  when  the  solitary  trumpet  sounded 
the  watch,  or  the  heavy  tread  of  a  troop  going  its  rounds  was 
heard.  The  city  sounds  were  but  the  murmurs  of  the  sinking 
tide  of  the  multitude.  The  spring  was  in  her  glory.  The  air 
came  fresh  and  sweet  from  the  fields.  All  was  tranquillity ; 
yet  what  a  mass  of  destructive  power  was  lying  motionless 
under  that  tranquillity !  Fire,  sword,  and  man  were  before 
me — elements  of  evil  that  a  touch  could  rouse  into  tempest, 
not  to  be  allayed  but  by  torrents  of  blood  and  the  ruin  of 
empires. 


424 


Esther  is  gone  !  '  was  her  answer  " 


{see  page  420. 


Car,r.g  Cbou  tXUl  1  Come 


row,  and  as  you  have  so  worthily  disabled  him  from  opera- 
u<mttowerin  *  tions  with  the  guard,  your  own  head  is  answerable  foi 
safe-keeping." 

My  enemy,  to  make  all  sure,  himself  saw  >  i  within 

the  tower  over  the 

promise  that  my  tin.  '   his  Tdu- 

nieans — to  the  boun<i:  '. sf action  . 

much-alarmed  J . 

The  tower  was  mas^ 

anything  less  th  .ng-ram  would 

open  its  solid  sid.  lain  had 

the  instant  of  my  losing  my  purse,  and  I  now 
dream  of   sapping  his   integrity  than  of   sapping  the  huge 
blocks  of   the  tower.     \ThetL  >•  the 

night,  or  for  the  siege,  or  to  glut  the  ax  by  ; 
qui-  MI  the  bosom  of  as  implacable 

as  long- 

t  <  <     •  • 

• 

. 

wrapt  in  sii.  !  itary  trumpet  sov. 

the  watch,  c:  tread  of  a  troop  going  il 

heard.    The  city  sounds  were  but  the  murmurs  of  tl; 

t  air  of  the  multitude.     The  spring  was  in  her  glory. 

caim-  fresh  and  sweet  from  the  rit-lcls.     All  was  tranquillity ; 

yet  what  a  mass  of  destructi\  was   lying  rnoti<>: 

unde/ that  tranquillity !     Fire,  sword,  and  man  were  1 

i,,e — elements  of  evil  that  a  touch  could  rouse  into  tem 

not  to  be  allayed  but  by  torrents. of  blood  and  the  ruin  of 

empires. 


CHAPTER  LVI 

A  Narrow  Escape 

WHILE  iny  mind  was  wandering  away  in  thoughts  of  the  H  Kasfeet  of 
madness  of  ambition  in  so  brief  a  being  as  man,  I  heard  a  loud 
clamor  of  voices  in  the  chambers  below.  The  rustic  guards 
had  been  enjoying  themselves,  but  their  wine  was  already 
out,  and  they  set  their  faces  boldly  against  the  discipline 
which  pretended  to  limit  the  wine  of  patriots  so  true  ana 
thirsty.  The  clamor  arose  from  the  discovery  that  the  cellars 
of  the  tower  had  been  examined  by  a  previous  guard,  who 
provided  for  the  temperance  of  their  successors  by  taking  the 
whole  temptation  to  themselves.  High  words  followed  be- 
tween the  abettors  of  discipline  and  tLj  partizans  of  the 
vintage,  and  if  my  door  were  but  unbarred  I  might  have  ex- 
peditiously  relieved  the  captain  of  his  charge.  But  its  bolts 
were  enormous,  and  I  tried  them  in  vain.  As  I  was  giving 
up  the  effort,  a  light  footstep  ascended  the  stairs ;  a  key  turned 
in  the  ponderous  wards,  and  the  minstrel  of  the  tent  stood  be- 
fore me. 

"If  you  wish  to  escape  from  certain  death,"  he  whispered, 
"  do  as  I  bid  you. " 

He  looked  from  the  casement,  sang  a  few  notes,  and  on 
being  answered  from  without  pulled  up  a  rope,  which  we 
hauled  in  together.  The  task  was  of  some  difficulty,  but  at 
length  a  weighty  basket  appeared,  loaded  with  wine.  He 
took  a  portion  of  the  contraband  freight  in  his  hands  and 
without  a  word  disappeared.  I  heard  his  welcome  proclaimed 
below  with  loud  applause.  Half  the  guard  were  instantly  on 
the  stairs  to  assist  him  down  with  the  remainder,  but  against 
this  he  firmly  protested,  and  threatened  in  case  of  a  single 
attempt  to  interfere  with  his  operations  that  he  would  awake 
the  captain  and  publicly  give  back  this  incomparable  private 

425 


tlbou  GUI  1  Come 


/rfnstrei'a  store  to  the  legitimate  hand.  The  threat  was  effective ;  the 
unlading  of  the  basket  was  left  to  his  own  dexterity,  and  at 
length  but  one  solitary  flask  lay  before  us. 

"You  deserve  some  payment  for  your  trouble,"  said  he, 
with  the  careless  and  jovial  air  of  his  brethren.  "Here's  to 
your  night's  enterprise,  whatever  it  be,"  pouring  out  a  iVw 
drops  and  tasting  them,  while  he  gave  a  large  draft  to  my 
feverish  lips.  "And  now,  good-night,  my  prince,  unless  you 
love  the  tower  too  much  to  take  leave  of  this  gallant  guard 
by  a  window." 

"But,  boy,  if  you  should  be  detected  in  assisting  my 
escape?  " 

" I  have  no  fear  of  that,"  said  he.  "I  have  been  detected 
in  all  sorts  of  frolics  in  my  time,  and  yet  here  I  am.  The 
truth  is,  my  prince,  I  have  traveled  in  your  country  and  have 
an  old  honor  for  your  name.  No  later  than  to-day  you  gave 
me  the  handsomest  present  I  have  got  since  I  came  within  the 
walls.  I  know  the  noble  captain  of  the  guard  to  be  a  thorough 
knave,  and  the  mighty  Onias  to  want  nothing  for  wickedness 
but  the  opportunity.  In  short,  the  thought  occurred  to  me, 
on  seeing  you,  to  help  the  honest  revelers  below  to  a  little 
more  wine  than  was  good  for  their  understandings,  the  con- 
traband being  a  commodity  in  which,  between  ourselves,  I 
deal ;  and  further  to  break  the  laws  by  assisting  you  to  leave 
captain,  sentinels,  and  all  behind." 

I  asked  what  was  to  be  done. 

"  If  you  value  your  life,  be  the  substitute  for  the  empty 
flasks  and  make  your  way  through  the  air  like  a  bird.  I  shall 
be  safe  enough.  Yon  need  have  no  fears  for  me." 

1  coiled  the  rope  round  a  beam,  forced  myself  through  the 
narrow  casement,  and  launched  out  into  air  at  a  height  of  a 
hundred  feet.  If  I  felt  any  distrust,  it  was  brief.  I  was 
rapidly  lowered,  passing  the  various  casements,  in  which  I 
saw  the  successive  watches  of  the  guard  drinking,  sleeping, 
singing,  and  discussing  public  affairs  with  village  rationality. 
Luckily  no  eye  turned  upon  the  fugitive,  and  the  ground  was 
touched  at  last. 

In  another  moment  the  minstrel  came,  rather  flying  than 

426 


S  "Marrow  Escape 


sliding,  down  the  rope.  I  said  something  in  acknowledgment  Ube 
of  this  service,  but  he  laid  his  linger  on  his  lip,  and  pointing 
to  a  rampart,  where  a  moving  torch  showed  me  that  we  were 
still  within  observation,  led  on  through  paths  beset  with 
thickets  that  no  eye  could  penetrate,  but,  as  he  laughingly 
said,  "that  of  a  supplier  of  garrisons  with  contraband."  But 
their  intricacy  offered  no  obstruction  to  this  stripling;  and 
after  amusing  himself  with  my  perplexities  he  led  me  to  the 
verge  of  the  plain. 

"I  have  detained  you,"  said  he,  "in  these  brambles  for  the 
double  purpose  of  avoiding  the  lookout  from  the  battlements 
and  of  giving  the  moon  time  to  hide  her  blushing  beauties." 

She  lay  reddening  with  the  mists  011  the  horizon. 

"  She  has  been  often  called  our  mother,  and  as  her  children 
the  minstrels  are  allowed  the  privilege  of  keeping  later  hours 
and  being  madder  than  the  mob  of  mankind.  But  like  other 
children  we  are  sometimes  engaged  in  matters  which  would 
dispense  with  the  maternal  eye,  and  to-night  I  wished  that 
she  was  many  a  fathom  below  the  ocean.  Mother,"  said  he, 
throwing  himself  into  an  attitude,  "take  a  child's  blessing 
and  begone." 

The  words  were  spoken  to  a  touch  on  his  little  harp — 
rambling,  but  singularly  sweet. 

"Do  you  know,"  said  he  with  a  sigh,  as  he  turned  and 
saw  me  gazing  in  admiration  of  his  skill,  "  I  am  weary  to 
death  of  my  profession." 

"  Then  why  not  leave  it?  You  are  fit  for  better  things. 
Your  skill  is  of  the  very  nature  that  makes  its  way  in  the 
world. " 

"  Why  not  leave  it?  For  a  hundred  reasons.  In  the  first 
place,  I  should  be  more  wearied  of  every  other.  I  should  be 
the  bird  in  the  cage,  fed,  sheltered,  and  possibly  a  favorite. 
But  what  bird  would  not  rather  take  the  chance  of  the  open 
air,  even  to  be  scorched  by  the  summer  and  frozen  by  the 
winter?  No ;  let  me  clap  my  pinions  and  sing  my  song  under 
the  free  canopy  of  the  skies,  or  be  voiceless,  and  wingless, 
and — dead." 

"  Boy,  this  is  the  natural  language  of  your  years.     But  the 

427 


Ebou  Gill  1  Come 


e  flDfnstrci  time  must  come  when  the  spirit  sinks  and  man  requires  other 
charms  in  life  than  the  power  of  roaming." 

He  hung  his  head  over  the  harp  and  let  his  fingers  stray 
among  the  strings.  The  moon  was  now  touching  the  moun- 
tains. 

"We  must  begons,"  said  I.  "I  owe  you  something  for 
your  night's  service,  which  shall  be  repaid  by  taking  you 
into  my  household  should  the  siege  be  raised;  if  not,  you  are 
but  as  you  were." 

He  was  all  nervous  excitement  at  the  offer — wept,  laughed, 
danced,  played  a  prelude  upon  the  strings,  kissed  my  hand, 
and  finally  bounded  away  before  me.  I  called  to  him,  repeat- 
ing my  wish  that  he  should  go  no  farther. 

"Impossible,"  said  he;  "you  would  be  lost  in  a  moment. 
If  1  had  not  crossed  the  ground  hundreds  of  times,  I  should 
never  be  able  to  find  my  road.  Half  a  mile  forward  it  is  all 
rampart,  trench,  and  ravine.  You  would  be  stopped  by  a 
myriad  of  sentinels.  Nothing  on  earth  could  get  to  the  foot 
of  yonder  hills,  but  an  army — or  a  minstrel." 

He  ran  on  before  me,  and  ran  with  a  rapidity  that  tasked 
even  my  foot  to  follow.  We  soon  came  into  the  fortified 
ground,  and  I  then  felt  his  value.  He  led  me  over  fosse  and 
rampart,  up  the  scarp  and  through  the  palisade,  with  the 
sagacity  of  instinct.  But  this  was  not  all.  I  repeatedly  saw 
the  sentinels  within  a  few  feet  of  us,  and  expected  to  be 
challenged  every  moment,  but  not  a  syllable  was  heard.  I 
passed  with  patrols  of  the  legionary  horse  on  either  side  of 
me ;  still  not  a  word.  I  walked  through  the  rows  of  tents,  in 
which  the  troops  were  preparing  for  the  duties  of  the  morning. 
Not  an  eye  fell  upon  me,  and  I  almost  began  to  believe  my- 
self, like  a  hero  of  the  heathen  fables,  covered  with  a  cloud. 

The  boy  still  continued  racing  along,  until,  on  reaching  the 
summit  of  a  mound  at  some  distance  in  front  of  me,  he  uttered 
a  cry  and  fell.  I  had  heard  no  challenge,  and  hurried  toward 
him.  A  flight  of  arrows  whizzed  over  iny  head,  and  the  black 
visages  of  a  mob  of  Ethiopian  riders  &1  came  bounding  up  a 
hollow  between  us.  It  was  not  my  purpose  to  fight,  even  if  I 
had  any  hope  of  success  against  marksmen  who  could  hit  an 

428 


"Harrow  Escape 


elephant's  eye.  I  surrendered  in  every  language  of  which  I 
was  capable.  But  the  Ethiopians  only  shook  their  woolly 
heads,  laid  hands  on  me,  and  began  an  investigation  of  my 
riches  creditable  to  polished  society.  Barbarians,  with  a 
tongue  and  physiognomy  worthy  only  of  their  kindred  ba- 
boons, probed  every  plait  of  my  garments,  with  an  accuracy 
that  could  have  been  surpassed  only  in  the  most  civilized 
custom-houses  of  the  empire.  A  succession  of  shrieks,  which 
I  mistook  for  rage,  but  which  were  the  mirth  of  those  sons  of 
darkness,  were  the  prelude  to  measures  which  augured  more 
formidable  consequences.  A  rope  was  thrown  over  my  arms, 
and  I  was  led  toward  the  outposts. 

Yet  even  the  neighborhood  of  their  Eonian  friends  did  not 
seem  the  most  congenial  to  my  captors.  More  than  one  con- 
sultation was  held,  in  which  their  white  teeth  were  bared  to 
the  jaw  with  rage,  and  their  simitars  were  whirled  like  so 
many  flashes  of  lightning  about  each  other's  turbans,  before 
they  could  decide  whether  my  throat  was  to  be  cut  on  the 
spot,  to  get  rid  of  an  incunibrance,  or  whether  they  were  to 
try  how  far  the  emptiness  of  my  purse  might  not  be  made  up 
by  the  reward  for  the  capture  of  a  spy  in  the  trappings  of  a 
chieftain. 

I  gave  up  remonstrance  where,  if  I  had  all  the  tongues  of 
Babel,  none  of  them  seemed  likely  to  answer  my  purpose,  and 
reserving  the  nice  distinction  between  an  ambassador  and  a 
spy  for  more  cultivated  ears,  quietly  walked  onward  in  the 
midst  of  this  troop  of  thieves ;  the  more  insensible  to  honesty 
or  argument,  as  they  were  privileged  according  to  law.  But 
our  approach  to  the  camp  bred  another  difficulty.  The  troop 
felt  an  obvious  disinclination  to  come  too  close  to  the  legion- 
aries. Untutored  as  the  negroes  were,  they  had  acquired  a 
knowledge  of  the  official  conscience,  and  they  bowed  to  the 
mastery  of  the  white  in  plunder  as  among  the  accomplish- 
ments of  an  advanced  age ! 

All  could  not  venture  to  the  camp ;  yet  who  was  to  be  en- 
trusted with  receiving  the  reward?  The  discussion  was  car- 
ried on  chiefly  by  gesture,  which  sometimes  proceeded  to 
blows,  and  at  last  was  wound  up  to  such  vigor  that  a  brawny 

429 


{Tarn?  Gbou  GUI  f  Come 


Saiatbtci'B  ruffian,  to  preserve  the  peace,  seized  the  rope  and,  dragging 
me  out  the  circle,  began  sharpening  his  simitar,  to  extinguish 
the  controversy.  But  at  the  instant  a  horrid  outcry  arose,  and 
a  figure,  hideous  beyond  conception,  not  a  foot  high,  blacker 
than  the  blackest,  and  darting  flames  from  its  mouth,  bounded 
in  among  us,  mounted  upon  a  wild  beast  of  a  horse  that 
kicked  and  tore  at  everything.  The  Ethiopians  shrieked  with 
terror  and  scattered  on  all  sides  at  the  first  shock,  but  the 
ground  was  so  cut  up  by  the  military  operations  that  they 
stumbled  at  every  step.  Some  were  unhorsed ;  some  probably 
had  their  necks  broken,  and  others  carried  home  the  tale,  to 
spread  it  through  the  land  of  lions.  I  heard  it  long  after,  ex- 
citing the  utmost  amaze  in  a  venerable  circle  round  one  of 
the  fountains  of  the  Nile. 

I  was  now  saved  from  being  thus  summarily  made  the 
victim  of  peace,  but  was  as  far  as  ever  from  freedom.  While 
I  was  endeavoring  to  loose  the  rope,  a  patrol  of  the  legionary 
horse  came  galloping  from  the  camp,  and  I  was  seized  with 
this  badge  of  a  bad  character  upon  me.  But  the  flying  negroes 
wove  the  more  amusing  objects.  There  was  just  light  enough 
to  see  them  rolling  about  the  plain ;  turbans  flying  off  in  the 
air;  and  the  few  riders  who  could  boast  of  keeping  their 
seats,  whirled  away  over  brake  and  brier,  at  the  mercy  of 
their  frightened  horses.  This  display,  which  had  been  at  first 
taken  for  the  prelude  to  an  assault  on  the'  lines,  was  now  a 
source  of  pleasantry,  and  the  horsemanship  of  the  savages 
was  honored  with  many  a  roar. 

My  case  came  next  under  consideration.  "  I  was  found  at 
the  edge  of  the  Roman  entrenchments,  where  to  be  found  was 
to  die ;  I  was  besides  taken  with  the  mark  of  reprobation 
upon  me." 

I  pleaded  my  own  merits  loudly,  and  appealed  to  the  rope 
as  evidence  that  I  was  not  there  by  my  own  will.  The  legion- 
aries were  better  soldiers  than  logicians,  and  my  defense  per- 
plexed them  until  some  one  thought  of  inquiring  what  brought 
me  there  at  all.  The  troop  flocked  round  to  hear  my  answer 
to  this  overwhelming  question.  I  told  my  purpose  in  a  few 
words. 


Harrow  Eecape 


The  scale  again  turned  in  my  favor,  and  I  began  to  think  ©n  tbe  point 
victory  secure,  when  a  young  standard-bearer,  who  was  prob-      °     catl 
ably  destined  to  rise  in  the  state,  declared,  with  a  splenetic 
tongue  and  brow  of  office,  that  "in  this  land  of  cheating  too 
much  precaution  could  not  be  adopted  against  cheats  of  all 
colors ;  that  the  more  plausible  my  story  was,  the  more  likely 
it  was  to  be  a  falsehood ;  and  finally,  that  as  my  escape  might 
do  some  kind  of  mischief,  while  my  hanging  could  do  none 
whatever,  it  was  advisable  to  hang  me  without  delay." 

The  orator  spoke  the  words  of  popularity,  and  my  fate  was 
sealed.  But  a  new  difficulty  arose.  By  whom  was  the  sen- 
tence to  be  put  in  execution? — for  the  duty  would  have  sullied 
the  legionary  honor  for  life.  A  trampled  African,  who  lay 
groaning  in  a  ditch  beside  me,  caught  the  sound  of  the  debate, 
dragged  himself  out,  and  offered,  mangled  as  he  was,  to  per- 
form the  office  for  any  sum  that  their  generosity  might  think 
proper  to  give.  Never  was  man  nearer  to  paying  the  grand 
debt  than  I  was  at  that  moment.  The  African  recovered  his 
vigor  as  by  magic,  and  the  young  statesman  took  upon  him- 
self the  superintendence  of  this  service  to  his  country.  I 
raised  my  voice  loudly  against  this  violence  to  a  "negotiator  "  ; 
but  the  troopers  of  the  imperial  horse  had  been  roused  from 
their  sleep  on  my  account,  and  they  were  not  to  return,  liable 
to  the  ridicule  of  having  been  roused  by  a  false  alarm.  I  still 
endeavored  to  put  off  the  evil  hour,  when  the  trampling  of  a 
large  body  of  cavalry  was  heard. 

"  The  general !  "  exclaimed  the  young  officer,  who  evidently 
had  an  instinctive  sensibility  to  the  approach  of  rank. 

"Let  Titus  come,"  said  I,  "or  any  man  of  honor,  and  he 
will  understand  me." 

I  tore  the  badge  of  disgrace  from  my  arms  and  stepped  for- 
ward to  meet  the  great  son  of  Vespasian.  My  confidence 
alarmed  the  troop,  and  the  standard-bearer  made  way  for  the 
man  who  dared  to  speak  to  the  heir  of  the  throne.  But  the 
general  was  not  Titus ;  .a  broad,  brutal  countenance,  red  with 
excess,  glared  haughtily  round.  I  recognized  Cestius.  A 
whisper  from  one  of  the  officers  put  him  in  possession  of  the 
circumstances,  aud  he  rode  up  to  me. 

431 


£bou  CHI  fl  Come 


Saiatbici  "  So,  rebel !  you  are  come  to  this  at  last !  You  have  been 
19  taken  in  the  fact  and  must  undergo  your  natural  fate." 

"  I  demand  to  be  led  to  your  general.  I  scorn  to  defend 
myself  before  inferiors. " 

"  Inferiors !  "  He  bit  his  livid  lip.  "  Traitor,  you  are  not 
now  on  the  hill  of  Scopas  at  the  head  of  an  ariny. " 

"  Nor  you,"  said  I,  "  on  the  plain  at  the  head  of  an  army — 
and  so  much  the  more  fortunate  for  both  you  and  them.  But 
I  scorn  to  talk  to  men  whose  backs  I  have  seen.  Lead  me  to 
your  master,  fugitive !  " 

The  troops,  unaccustomed  to  this  plain  speaking,  looked 
on  with  wonder.  Cestius  himself  was  staggered,  but  the  na- 
ture of  the  man  soon  returned,  and  in  a  voice  of  fury  he 
ordered  a  body  of  Arab  archers,  who  were  seen  moving  at  a 
distance,  to  be  brought  up  for  the  extinction  of  a  "traitor  un- 
worthy of  a  Roman  sword."  The  Arabs,  exhilarated  by  the 
prospect  of  employment,  came  up,  shouting,  tossing  their 
lances,  and  shooting  their  arrows.  As  a  last  resource,  I  sol- 
emnly protested  against  this  murder,  which  I  pronounced  to 
be  the  work  of  a  revenge  disgraceful  to  the  name  of  soldier ; 
and  taunting  Cestius  with  his  defeat,  demanded  that,  if  he 
doubted  my  honor,  he  should  try  on  the  spot  "  which  of  our 
swords  was  the  better." 

He  answered  only  by  a  glare  of  rage  and  a  gesture  to  the 
archers,  who  instantly  threw  themselves  into  a  half  circle 
round  me,  with  the  expertuess  of  proficients  in  the  trade  of 
justice,  and  bended  their  bows.  Determined  to  resist  to  the 
last,  I  flung  out  upbraidings  and  scorn  upon  the  murderer, 
which  drove  him  to  hide  his  head  behind  the  troops.  Another 
disturbance  arose.  Simitars  waved,  turbans  shook-  horses 
plunged ;  the  deep  order  was  broken,  and  at  length  a  horse- 
man, magnificently  appareled  and  mounted,  burst  into  the 
ring  and  looked  fiercely  round. 

"What,  you  miscreants,"  he  shouted,  "who  dares  to  take 
command  out  of  my  hands?  Down  with  your  bows !  Commit 
murder  and  I  not  present!  The  first  man  that  pulls  a  string 
shall  leave  an  empty  saddle.  Draw  off,  cutthroats,  or  if  you 
Avant  to  do  the  world  a  service,  shoot  one  another." 

432 


Harrow  Escape 


I  seemed  to  remember  the  voice,  but  I  gazed  in  vain  on  the     H  /fteeting 
splendid  figure.     The  turban  that,  blazing  with  gems,  hung      captain6 
down  on   his   forehead,  and   the   beard   that,  black   as   the 
raven's  wing,  curled  full  round  his  lip,  completely  baffled  me. 
He  looked   at  me  in  turn,  thrust  out  a  sinewy  hand,  and, 
clasping  mine,  exclaimed  with  a  laugh  laugh : 

"  Prince,  does  the  plumage  make  you  forget  the  bird?  What 
can  have  brought  you  into  the  hands  of  my  culprits?  I 
thought  that  you  were  drowned,  burned,  or  a  candidate  for 
the  imperial  diadem  by  this  time." 

I  now  knew  him. 

"  My  friend  of  the  free-trade !  "  said  I  hi  a  low  tone. 

He  spoke  in  a  fearless  tone.  "  By  no  means.  I  have  re- 
formed— am  a  changed  man— captain  of  the  seas  no  more; 
but  a  loyal  plunderer — in  the  service  of  Vespasian,  and  in 
command  of  a  thousand  Arab  cavalry  that  will  ride,  run 
away,  and  rob  with  any  corps  in  the  service ;  and  the  word  is 
a  bold  one." 

Our  brief  conference  was  broken  up  by  the  return  of  Ces- 
tius,  who,  outrageous  at  the  delay  and  coming  to  inquire  the 
cause,  found  fresh  fuel  for  his  wrath  in  the  sight  of  the  Arab 
captain  turned  into  my  protector.  With  an  execration  he  de- 
manded "why  his  orders  had  been  disobeyed." 

The  captain  answered,  with  the  most  provoking  coolness, 
that  "  no  Roman  officer,  let  his  rank  be  what  it  might,  was 
entitled  to  degrade  the  allies  into  executioners." 

The  Roman  grew  furious  with  the  slight  in  the  face  of  the 
troops,  who  highly  enjoyed  it.  The  Arab  grew  more  sarcastic, 
till  Cestius  was  rash  enough  to  lift  his  hand,  and  the  Arab 
anticipated  the  blow,  by  dashing  his  charger  at  him  and  leav- 
ing the  general  and  his  horse  struggling  together  on  the 
ground.  An  insult  of  this  kind  to  the  second  in  command 
was,  of  course,  not  to  be  forgiven.  The  Arabs  bent  their  bows 
to  make  battle  for  their  captain,  but  he  forbade  resistance ; 
and  when  the  legionary  tribune  demanded  his  sword,  he  sur- 
rendered it  with  a  smile,  saying  that  "  he  had  done  service 
enough  for  one  day  in  saving  an  honest  man  and  punishing  a 
ruffian,"  and  that  he  should  justify  himself  to  Titus  alone. 

28  433 


the  approach  My  fate  was  still  undetermined.  But  the  legionaries  soon 
o  t  e  items  j^j  more  pressing  matters  to  think  of.  The  clangor  of  horns 
and  shouts  came  in  the  direction  of  the  city.  The  plain  still 
lay  in  shade,  but  I  could  see  through  the  dusk  immense  crowds 
moving  forward  like  an  inundation.  The  legions  were  in- 
stantly under  arms,  and  I  stood  a  chance  of  being  walked 
over  by  two  armies ! 

But  I  was  not  to  encounter  so  distinguished  a  catastrophe. 
Some  symptoms  of  my  inclination  to  escape  attracted  the  eye 
of  the  guard,  and  I  was  marched  to  the  common  repository  of 
malefactors  in  the  rear  of  the  lines. 


434 


CHAPTER  LVII 

Onias,  the  Enemy  of  Salathiel 

MY  new  quarters  were  within  the  walls  of  one  of  those  TOUtbtn  Soun& 
huge  country  mansions  which  the  pride  of  our  ancestors  had 
built  to  be  the  plague  of  their  posterity ;  for  those  the  enemy 
chiefly  employed  for  our  prisons.  Their  solid  strength  defied 
desultory  attack ;  time  made  little  other  impression  on  them 
than  to  picture  their  walls  with  innumerable  stains ;  and  the 
man  must  be  a  practised  prison-breaker  who  could  force  his 
Avay  out  of  their  depths  of  marble.  But  if  my  eyes  were  use- 
less, my  ears  had  their  full  indulgence.  Every  sound  of  the 
conflict  was  heard.  The  attack  was  furious,  and  must  have 
often  been  close  to  the  walls  of  my  dungeon.  The  various 
rallying-cries  of  the  tribes  rang  through  its  halls;  then  a 
Koniaii  shout,  and  the  heavy  charge  of  the  cavalry  would 
roll  along  until,  after  an  encountering  roar  and  a  long  clash- 
ing of  weapons,  the  tumult  passed  away,  to  be  rapidly  renewed 
by  the  obstinate  bravery  of  my  unfortunate  countrymen. 

I  felt  as  a  man  and  a  leader  must  feel  during  scenes  in 
which  he  ought  to  take  a  part,  yet  to  which  he  is  virtually 
as  dead  as  the  sleeper  in  the  tomb.  My  life  had  been  activity ; 
my  heart  was  in  the  cause ;  I  had  knowledge,  zeal,  and 
strength  that  might  in  the  chances  of  battle  turn  the  scale.  I 
even  often  heard  my  name  among  the  charging  cries  of  the 
day.  But  here  I  lay  within  impassable  barriers.  A  thousand 
times  during  those  miserable  hours  I  measured  their  height 
with  my  eye ;  then  threw  myself  on  the  ground,  and  placing 
my  hands  over  my  ears,  labored  to  exclude  thought  from  my 
soul. 

But  my  fellow  prisoners  were  practical  philosophers  to  a 
man ;  untaught  in  the  schools,  'tis  true,  yet  fully  trained  in 

435 


ZTbou  Cill  fl  Come 


Ube  Son0  of  that  great  academy  worth  all  that  Philosopy  ever  dreamed 
Chance  -n — experience. //In  all  my  wanderings  among  mankind  t 
never  before  had  so  ample  an  opportunity  of  studying  variety 
of  character.  War  is  the  hotbed  that  urges  all  our  qualities, 
good  and  evil,  into  their  broadest  luxuriance.  The  generous 
become  munificent ;  the  mean  darken  into  the  villainous ;  and 
the  rude  harden  into  brutality.  The  camp  is  the  great  inn  at 
which  all  the  dubious  qualities  set  up  their  rest,  and  a  single 
campaign  perfects  the  culprit  to  the  height  of  his  profession. 
There  were  round  me  in  these  immense  halls  about  five  hun- 
dred profligates,  any  one  of  whose  histories  would  have  been 
invaluable  to  a  scorner  of  human  nature. 

Among  the  loose  armies  of  the  East  those  fellows  exercised 
their  vocation  as  regular  appendages ;  often  lived  in  luxury, 
and  sometimes  shot  up  into  leaders  themselves.  But  robbery 
in  the  Roman  armies  required  master-hands.  The  temptation 
was  strong,  for  the  legionary  was  the  grand  ravager,  and  like 
the  lion,  he  left  the  larger  share  of  the  prey  to  the  jackal. 
Yet  justice,  inexorable  and  rapid,  was  his  rule — in  all  cases 
but  his  own ;  and  the  jackal,  suspected  of  trespassing  within 
the  legitimate  distance  from  the  superior  savage,  ran  im- 
minent hazard  of  being  disqualified  for  all  encroachment  to 
come.  Three-fourths  of  my  associates  had  played  this  peril- 
ous game,  and  its  penalties  were  now  awaiting  only  the  first 
leisure  of  the  troops.  Peace,  at  all  times  vexatious  to  their 
trade,  had  thus  a  double  disgust  for  them,  and  the  most  pa- 
triotic son  of  Israel  could  not  have  taken  a  more  zealous  in- 
terest in  the  defeat  of  the  legions. 

But  philosophy  still  predominated ;  if  hope  was  at  an  end, 
hilarity  took  its  place,  and  the  prison  rang  with  reckless  ex- 
hibitions of  practical  glee,  riotous  songs,  and  mockeries.  In 
the  idleness  of  the  lingering  hours  the  professional  talents  of 
those  sons  of  chance  were  brought  into  play.  The  mimic  col- 
lected his  audience,  burlesqued  the  pompous  officials  of  the 
army,  and  gathered  his  pence  and  plaudits  as  if  he  were  un- 
der the  open  sky  and  could  call  his  head  his  own.  The  nos- 
trum-vender had  his  secrets  for  the  cure  of  every  ill,  and 
harangued  on  the  impotence  of  brand,  scourge,  and  blade,  if 

436 


©ntas,  tbe  Bnemg  of  Salatbiel 


the  patient   had   but  the  wisdom  to  employ  his   irresistible    m  victim  of 
unguent.     The  soothsayer  sold  fate  at  the  lowest  price,  and     "9ra 
fixed  the  casualties  of   the  next  four-and-twenty  hours — an 
easy  task  with  the  principal  part  of  his  audience.     The  min- 
strel chanted  the  pleasures  of  a  life   unencumbered  by  care 
or  conscience ;  and  the  pilferer,  with  but  an  hour  to  live,  ex- 
ercised his  trade  with  an  industry  proportioned  to  the  short- 
ness of  his  time. 

In  the  whole  gang  I  met  with  but  one  man  thoroughly  out 
of  spirits.  He  had  obviously  been  no  favorite  of  fortune,  for 
the  human  form  could  scarcely  be  less  indebted  to  clothing. 
His  swarthy  visage  was  doubly  blackened  by  hunger  and  ex- 
haustion, and  even  his  voice  had  a  prison  sound.  Driven  away 
from  the  joyous  groups  by  the  natural  repulsion  which  the 
careless  feel  at  visages  that  remind  them  of  trouble,  he  took 
refuge  in  the  corner  where  I  lay,  tormented  by  every  echo  of 
the  battle.  Not  unwilling  to  forget  the  melancholy  scenes  in 
which  every  moment  was  draining  the  last  blood  of  my  coun- 
try, I  turned  to  the  wretch  beside  me  and  asked  the  cause  of 
his  sorrows. 

"  Ingratitude, "  was  the  reply.  "  This  is  a  villainous  world ; 
a  man  may  spend  his  life  in  serving  others,  and  what  will  he 
gain  in  the  end?  Nothing.  There  is,  for  instance,  the  prince 
of  Damascus  wallowing  in  wealth ;  yet  the  greatest  rogue 
under  this  roof  has  not  a  more  pitiful  stock  of  honor.  Wit- 
ness his  conduct  to  me.  He  was  out  of  favor  with  his  uncle, 
the  late  prince ;  was  not  worth  more  than  the  raiment  on  his 
limbs,  and  as  likely  to  finish  his  days  on  the  gibbet  as  any 
of  the  knot  of  robbers  that  helped  him  to  scour  the  roads 
about  Sidon.  In  his  distress  he  applied  to  me.  I  had  driven 
a  handsonje  share  of  the  free-trade  between  Egypt  and  the 
north,  and  now  and  then  gave  him  a  handsome  price  for  his 
booty.  The  idea  of  bringing  his  uncle  to  terms  was  out  of  the 
question.  I  named  my  price ;  it  was  allowed  to  be  fair.  I 
made  my  way  into  the  palace,  was  exalted  to  the  honors  of 
cupbearer,  and  on  my  first  night  of  office  gave  the  old  man  a 
cup  which  cured  him  of  drunkenness  forever.  And  what  do 
you  think  was  my  reward?  " 

437 


Gbou  GUI  H  Come 


Saiatbtei's  in.      "I  could  name  what  it  ought  to  have  been." 
terest  KOUBCO 


not  a  stone  —  not  a  shekel.  I  was  thrown  into  chains,  and 
finally  kicked  out  of  the  city,  with  a  promise,  the  only  one 
that  he  will  ever  keep,  that  if  I  venture  there  again  I  shall 
leave  it  without  my  head!  There's  gratitude!  There's  'honor 
for  you  ! 

"  My  next  example,"  he  continued,  "  was  among  the  Romans. 
It  must  be  owned  that  they  pay  well  for  secret  services.  But 
then,  ingratitude  infects  them  from  top  to  toe.  I  had  been 
three  years  in  their  employment,  and  if  I  made  free  with  a 
few  of  their  secrets  in  favor  of  others,  it  was  only  on  the  com- 
mercial principle  of  having  as  many  customers  as  one  can 
supply;  still,  I  helped  them  to  the  knowledge  of  all  that  was 
going  on." 

He  had  found  a  listener,  and  indulged  his  recollection  ; 
after  a  variety  of  events,  in  which  he  cheated  everybody,  he 
came  to  one  that  had  some  interest  for  myself. 

"At  last  a  showy  adventurer  changed  the  scene,"  he  con- 
tinued. •''  Some  insult  had  stirred  up  his  blood,  and  in  revenge 
he  sailed  away  with  the  prefect's  galley  and  set  up  on  his 
own  account.  Not  a  sail,  from  a  shallop  to  a  trireme,  could 
touch  the  water  from  the  Cyclades  to  Cyprus  without  being 
overhauled  by  the  captain.  I  was  set  by  the  prefect  upon  his 
track,  and  got  into  his  good  graces  by  lending  him  a  little  of 
my  information,  of  which  he  made  such  desperate  use  that 
the  Roman  swore  my  destruction  as  a  traitor.  To  make  up 
the  quarrel  I  tried  a  wider  game,  and  was  bringing  his  fleet 
upon  the  pirates  in  their  very  nest  when  ill  luck  came  across 
me.  A  pair  whom  to  the  last  hour  of  my  life  nothing  will 
persuade  me  to  think  anything  but  demons,  sent  expressly  to 
do  me  mischief,  spoiled  one  of  the  finest  inventions  that  ever 
came  into  the  head  of  man. 

"  The  consequence  was  that  the  pirates,  instead  of  being  at- 
tacked, burned  the  Roman's  trireme  round  him,  and  would 
have  burned  himself,  if  he  had  not  thought  a  watery  end 
better  than  a  fiery  one,  leaped  overboard,  and  gone  straight  to 
the  bottom.  The  whole  blame  fell  upon  me,  and  my  only  pay- 

438 


©nfas,  tbc  Bnemg  of  Salatbiel 


ment  was  the  cropping  of  my  ears  and  a  declaration,  sworn  to  Saiatbfel  »e= 
in  the  names  of  Romulus  and  Remus,  that  if  I  ever  ventured  comes  a 
again  within  a  Roman  camp  I  should  not  get  off  so  well.    In- 
gratitude again!    Never  was  a  man  so  unfortunate." 

"Quite  the  contrary.  It  appears  to  me  that  seldom  was 
man  so  lucky.  If  one  in  a  hundred  would  have  your  tale  to 
tell,  not  one  in  a  thousand  would  have  lived  to  tell  it. "  I  had 
already  recognized  the  Egyptian  of  the  cavern. 

"But  justice,  honor!" 

"  Say  no  more  about  them.  Whatever  the  Romans  may  be 
in  the  matter  of  justice,  your  case  is  an  answer  to  all  charges 
on  their  mercy." 

He  looked  at  me  with  a  ghastly  grimace,  and  as  he  threw 
back  the  long  and  squalid  locks  that  covered  his  countenance, 
showed  what  beggary  had  done  to  the  sleek  features  of  the 
once  superbly  clothed  and  jeweled  sea-rover. 

"But  what,"  said  I,  "threw  a  man  of  your  virtue  among 
such  a  gang  of  caitiffs  as  are  here?  " 

"Another  instance  of  ingratitude.  I  had  been  for  twenty 
years  connected  with  one  of  the  leading  men  of  Jerusalem, 
and  I  will  say  that  in  my  experience  of  mankind  I  have 
known  no  individual  less  perplexed  with  weakness  of  con- 
science. He  had  a  difficult  game  to  play  between  the  Romans, 
whom  he  served  privately,  the  Jews,  whom  he  served  pub- 
licly, and  himself,  whom  he  served  with  at  least  as  much  zeal 
as  either  of  his  employers.  The  times  were  made  for  the  suc- 
cess of  a  man  who  has  his  eyes  open  and  suffers  neither  the 
fear  of  anything  on  earth  nor  the  hope  of  anything  after  it 
to  shut  them.  He  succeeded  accordingly;  got  rid  of  some 
rivals  by  the  dagger;  sent  others  to  the  dungeon;  bribed 
where  money  would  answer  his  purpose ;  threatened  where 
threats  would  be  current  coin ;  and  by  the  practise  of  those 
natural  means  of  rising  in  public  affairs,  became  the  hope  of 
a  faction.  But  on  his  glory  there  was  one  cloud— the  prince 
of  Naphtali ! " 

I  listened  attentively.  I  had  deeply  known  the  early  hos- 
tility of  Onias,  but  his  devices  were  too  tortuous  for  me  to 
trace,  and  until  the  past  night  I  had  lost  sight  of  him  for 

439 


Cbou  Gill  fl  Come 


©nias  ant>  t>(«  years.  I  asked  what  cause  of  bitterness  existed  between 
those  personages. 

"A  hundred,  as  generally  happens  where  the  imagination 
becomes  a  party  and  the  accuser  is  the  judge.  The  prince  in 
his  youth  and  before  'he  attained  his  rank  had  the  insolence  to 
fall  in  love  with  the  woman  marked  by  Onias  for  his  own. 
He  had  the  additional  insolence  to  win  her ;  and  the  comple- 
tion of  his  crimes  was  marriage.  Onias  thenceforth  swore  his 
ruin.  Public  convulsions  put  off  the  promise,  and  while  he 
was  driven  to  his  last  struggle  to  keep  himseU  among  the 
living,  he  had  the  angry  indulgence  of  seeing  the  young  hus- 
band shoot  up  without  any  trouble  into  rank,  wealth,  and  re- 
nown." 

"  But  has  not  time  blunted  his  hostility?  "  I  asked. 

"Time,  as  the  proverb  goes,  blunts  nothing  but  a  man's 
wit,  his  teeth,  and  his  good  intentions,"  said  the  knave,  with 
a  sneer  on  his  grim  visage.  "The  next  half  of  the  proverb  is 
that  it  sharpens  wine,  women,  and  wickedness.  What  Onias 
may  have  been  doing  of  late  I  can  only  guess ;  but  unless  he 
is  changed  by  miracle,  he  has  been  dealing  in  every  villainous 
contrivance  from  subornation  to  sorcery.  I  had  my  own 
affairs  to  mind.  But  unless  Satan  owes  him  a  grudge,  he  is 
now  not  far  from  his  revenge." 

I  thought  of  our  meeting  at  the  city  gates,  and  alarmed  at 
the  chance  of  his  discovering  my  family,  anxiously  asked 
whether  Onias  had  obtained  any  late  knowledge  of  his  rival. 

"Of  that  I  know  but  little,"  said  he;  "yet  quick  as  his  re- 
venge may  be,  unless  my  honest  employer  manages  with  more 
temper  than  usual,  he  will  rue  the  hour  when  he  set  foot  on 
the  track  of  the  prince  of  Naphtali.  If  ever  man  possessed 
the  mastery  of  the  spirits  that  our  wizards  pretend  to  raise, 
the  prince  is  that  man.  I  myself  have  hunted  him  for  years, 
yet  he  always  baffled  me.  I  have  laid  traps  for  him  that 
nothing  in  human  cunning  could  have  escaped,  yet  he  broke 
through  them  as  if  they  were  spider's  webs.  I  saw  him  sent 
to  the  thirstiest  lover  of  blood  that  ever  sat  on  a  throne.  Yet 
he  came  back,  aye,  from  the  very  clutch  of  Nero.  I  maddened 
his  friends  against  him,  and  he  contrived  to  escape  even  from 

440 


©nias,  tbe  Bnem\)  of  Salatbfel 


the  malice  of  his  friends,  a  matter  which  you  will  own  is  n  Confessor's 
among  the  most  memorable.  I  had  him  plunged  into  a  dun- 
geon, where  I  kept  him  alive  for  certain  reasons,  while  Onias 
was  to  be  kept  to  his  bargain  by  the  prisoner's  reappearance. 
Yet  he  escaped,  and  my  last  intelligence  of  him  is  that  he 
is  at  this  moment  living  in  pomp  in  Jerusalem,  the  spot  where 
I  have  been  for  the  last  month  in  close  pursuit  of  him.  Time 
or  some  marvelous  power  must  have  disguised  him.  And  yet 
if  I  were  to  meet  him  this  night 

"  Look  on  me,  slave !  "  I  exclaimed,  and  grasping  him  by 
the  throat  unsheathed  my  dagger.  "  You  have  found  him, 
and  to  your  cost.  Villain !  it  is  to  you  then  that  I  owe  so 
much  misery.  Make  your  peace  with  Heaven  if  you  can, 
for  it  would  be  a  crime  to  suffer  you  to  leave  this  spot 
alive." 

He  was  dumb  with  terror.  I  held  him  with  an  iron  grasp. 
The  thought  that  if  he  escaped  me,  it  must  be  only  to  let  loose 
a  murderer  against  my  house,  made  me  feel  his  death  an  act 
of  justice. 

"Let  me  go,"  he  at  last  muttered;  "let  me  live;  I  am  not 
fit  to  die.  In  the  name  of  that  Lord  whom  you  worship,  spare 
me !  "  He  fell  at  my  feet  in  desperate  supplication.  "  You 
have  not  heard  all ;  I  have  abjured  your  enemy.  Spare  me  and 
I  will  swear  to  pass  my  days  in  the  desert,  never  to  come 
again  before  the  face  of  man ;  to  lie  upon  the  rock,  to  live 
upon  the  weed,  to  drink  of  the  pool  until  I  sink  into  the 
grave !  " 

I  paused  in  disgust  at  the  abject  eagerness  for  life  in  a 
wretch  self -condemned !  While  I  held  the  dagger  before  him, 
his  senses  continued  bound  up  by  fear.  He  gazed  on  it  with 
an  eye  that  quivered  with  every  quivering  of  the  steel.  With 
one  hand  he  grasped  my  uplifted  arm  as  he  knelt,  and  with 
the  other  gathered  his  rags  round  his  throat  to  cover  it  from, 
the  blow.  His  voice  was  lost  in  horrid  gaspings ;  his  mouth 
was  wide  open  and  livid.  I  sheathed  the  weapon,  and  his 
countenance  instantly  returned  into  its  old  grimace.  A 
ghastly  smile  grew  upon  it  as  he  now  drew  from  his  bosom  a 
small  packet. 

441 


Chon  Cill  11  Gome 


Saiatbiel'a  "  If  you  had  put  me  to  death,"  said  the  wretch,  "you  would 
°©ntas°n  have  lost  your  best  friend.  This  packet  contains  a  correspond- 
ence for  which  Onias  would  give  all  that  he  is  worth  in  the 
world ;  and  well  he  might,  for  the  man  who  has  it  in  his 
hands  has  his  life.  The  world  is  made  up  of  ingratitude. 
After  all  my  services — slandering  here,  plundering  there, 
hunting  down  his  opponents  in  every  direction,  till  they  either 
put  themselves  out  of  the  world  or  he  saved  them  the  trouble 
— he  had  the  baseness  to  throw  me  off.  At  the  head  of  his 
troops  he  kicked  me  from  his  horse's  side,  ordering  me  to  be 
turned  loose,  'to  carry  my  treachery  to  the  Romans,  if  they 
should  be  fools  enough  to  think  me  worth  the  hire.'  I  took 
him  at  his  word.  I  was  watching  my  opportunity  to  enter 
Jerusalem  and  stab  him  to  the  heart  when  I  was  taken  by 
some  of  the  plunderers  that  hover  round  the  camp,  and  am 
now  probably  to  suffer  for  the  benefit  of  Roman  morality,  as 
a  robber  and  assassin,  as  soon  as  the  legions  shall  have  mur- 
dered every  man  and  robbed  every  mansion  in  Jerusalem." 

The  packet  contained  a  correspondence  of  Onias  with  the 
Romans.  A  sensation  of  triumph  glowed  through  me — I  held 
the  fate  of  my  implacable  enemy  in  my  hand.  I  could  now, 
with  a  word,  strike  to  the  earth  the  being  whose  artifices  and 
cruelties  had  waylaid  me  through  life,  and  the  traitor  to  my 
country  would  perish  Jjy  the  same  blow  that  avenged  my  own 
wrongs.  My  nature  was  made  for  passion.  In  love  and  hatred , 
in  ambition,  in  revenge,  my  original  spirit  knew  no  bounds. 
Time,  sorrow,  and  the  conviction  of  my  own  outcast  state  had 
partially  softened  those  hazardous  impulses,  and  I  found  the 
value  of  adversity.  Misfortune  comes  with  healing  on  its 
wings  to  the  burning  temper  of  the  heart,  as  the  tempest 
comes  to  the  arid  soil ;  it  tears  up  the  surface,  but  softens  it 
for  the  seeds  of  the  nobler  virtues;  even  in  its  feeblest  AVI  irk, 
it  cools  the  withering  and  devouring  heat  for  a  time.  I  had 
yet  to  find  with  what  fatal  rapidity  the  heart  gives  way  to  its 
old  overwhelming  temptations. 

"I  spare  your  life,"  said  I,  "but  on  one  condition — that 
you  henceforth  make  Onias  the  constant  object  of  your  vigi- 
lance; that  you  keep  him  from  all  injury  to  me  and  mine ;  and 

412 


©mas,  tbe  £nemg  of  Salatbfel 


that  when  I  shall  seize  him  at  last,  you  shall  be  forthcoming  Ube  power  of 
to  give  public  proof  of  his  treachery." 

"This  sounds  well,"  said  the  Egyptian  as  he  cast  his  eyes 
round  the  lofty  hall,  "  but  it  would  sound  better  if  we  were 
not  on  this  side  of  the  gate.  All  the  talking  in  the  world  will 
not  sink  these  walls  an  inch,  nor  make  that  gate  turn  on  its 
hinges,  tho  for  that,  and  for  every  other  too,  there  is  one 
master-key.  Happy  was  the  time  " — and  the  fellow's  sullen 
eye  lighted  up  with  the  joy  of  knavery — "when  I  could  walk 
through  every  cabinet,  chamber,  and  cell  from  the  Emperor's 
palace  in  Home  down  to  the  Emperor's  dungeon  in  Csesarea." 

I  produced  a  few  coins  which  I  had  been  enabled  to  conceal, 
and  flung  them  into  his  hand.  The  sum  rekindled  life  in  him ; 
avarice  has  its  enthusiasts  as  well  as  superstition.  He  forgot 
danger,  prison,  and  even  my  dagger  at  the  sight  of  his  idol. 
He  turned  the  coins  to  the  light  in  all  possible  ways ;  he  tried 
them  with  his  teeth ;  he  tasted,  he  kissed,  he  pressed  them 
to  his  bosom.  Never  was  lover  more  rapturous  than  this  last 
of  human  beings  at  the  touch  of  money  in  the  midst  of 
wretchedness  and  ruin.  His  transports  taught  me  a  lesson, 
and  in  that  prison  and  from  that  slave  of  vice  I  learned  long 
to  tremble  at  the  power  of  gold  over  the  human  mind. 

It  was  past  midnight  and  the  noise  of  the  criminals  round 
me  had  already  sunk  away.  The  floor  was  strewn  with  sleep- 
ers, and  the  only  waking  figure  was  the  sentinel  as  he  trod 
wearily  along  the  passages,  when  the  Egyptian,  desiring  me 
to  feign  sleep  that  his  further  operations  might  not  be  embar- 
rassed, drew  himself  along  the  ground  toward  him.  The  sol- 
dier, a  huge  Dacian,  covered  with  beard  and  iron,  and  going 
his  rounds  with  the  insensibility  of  a  machine,  all  but  trod 
upon  the  Egyptian,  who  lay  crouching  and  writhing  before 
him.  I  saw  the  spear  lifted  up  and  heard  a  growl  that  made 
me  think  my  envoy's  career  at  an  end  in  this  world.  He  still 
lay  on  the  ground,  writhing  under  the  sentinel's  foot,  as  a 
serpent  might  under  the  paw  of  a  lion. 

I  was  about  to  spring  up  and  interpose,  but  his  time  was 
not  yet  come.  The  spear  hung  in  air,  gradually  turned  its 
point  upward,  and  finally  resumed  its  seat  of  peace  on  the 

443 


Sbou  Gill  1  Come 


c  Sentinel  Dacian's  shoulder.  That  art  of  persuasion  which  speaks  to 
the  palm  and  whose  language  is  of  all  nations  had  touched 
the  son  of  Thrace ;  I  heard  the  sound  of  the  coin  on  the  mar- 
ble ;  a  few  words  arranged  the  details.  The  sentinel  discov- 
ered that  his  vigilance  was  required  in  another  direction,  broke 
off  his  customary  round,  and  walked  away.  The  Egyptian 
turned  to  me  with  a  triumphant  smile  on  his  hideous  visage, 
the  gate  rolled  on  its  hinge,  and  he  slipped  out  like  a  shadow. 
At  the  instant  my  mind  misgave  me.  I  had  put  the  fate  of 
my  family  into  the  hands  of  a  slave,  destitute  of  even  the 
pretense  of  principle.  In  my  eagerness  to  save,  might  I  not 
have  been  delivering  them  up  to  their  enemy?  He  had  sold 
Onias  to  me ;  might  he  not  make  his  peace  by  selling  me  to 
Onias?  The  gate  was  still  open.  A  few  steps  would  put  me 
beyond  bondage.  Yet  I  had  come  to  claim  Esther.  If  I  left 
the  camp,  what  hope  was  there  of  niy  ever  seeing  this  child 
of  my  heart  again?  Would  not  every  hour  of  my  life  be  em- 
bittered by  the  chance  that  she  might  be  suffering  the  miseries 
of  a  dungeon,  or  borne  away  into  a  strange  land,  or  dying  and 
calling  on  her  father  for  help  in  vain? 

Those  contending  impulses  passed  through  my  mind  with 
the  speed  and  almost  with  the  agony  of  an  arrow.  The  more 
I  thought  of  the  Egyptian,  the  more  I  took  his  treachery  for 
certain.  But  the  present  ruin  of  all  predominated  over  the 
possible  sufferings  of  one,  and  with  a  heart  throbbing  almost 
to  suffocation  and  a  step  scarcely  able  to  move  I  dragged  my- 
self toward  the  portal. 


444 


CHAPTER  LVIII 

Eleazar  the  Convert 

I  WAS  not  to  escape !  As  I  reached  the  gate  a  loud  sound  "Che  iraar  of 
of  trampling  feet  and  many  voices  drove  me  back.  By  that 
curious  texture  of  the  feelings  which  prefers  suffering  to  sus- 
pense I  was  almost  glad  to  have  the  question  decided  for  me 
by  fortune,  and  flung  myself  on  the  ground  among  a  heap  of 
the  undone,  who  lay  enjoying  a  slumber  that  might  be  envied 
by  thrones.  The  gate  was  thrown  open  and  in  another  moment 
in  burst  a  living  mass  of  horror,  a  multitude  of  beings  in 
whom  the  human  face  and  form  were  almost  obliterated; 
shapes  gaunt  with  famine,  black  with  dust,  withered  with 
deadly  fatigue,  and  covered  with  gashes  and  gore. 

The  Avar  had  gone  on  from  cruelty  to  cruelty.  To  the 
Roman  the  Jew  was  a  rebel,  and  he  had  a  rebel's  treatment; 
to  the  Jew  the  Roman  was  a  tyrant,  and  dearly  was  the  price 
of  his  tyranny  exacted.  Quarter  was  seldom  given  on  either 
side.  The  natural  generosity  of  the  son  of  Vespasian  had  at- 
tempted for  a  while  to  soften  this  furious  system.  But  the 
slaughter  of  the  mission  exasperated  him;  he  declared  the 
Jews  a  people  incapable  of  faith,  and  proclaimed  a  war  of  ex- 
termination. The  battle  of  the  day  had  furnished  the  first 
opportunity  of  sweeping  vengeance. 

The  people,  stimulated  by  the  arrival  of  Onias,  had  made  a 
desperate  effort  to  force  the  Roman  lines.  The  attacks  were 
reiterated  with  more  than  valor — with  rage  and  madness;  the 
Jews  fought  with  a  disregard  of  life  that  appalled  and  had 
nearly  overwhelmed  even  the  Roman  steadiness.  The  loss 
of  the  legions  was  formidable ;  all  their  chief  officers  were 
wounded,  many  were  killed.  Titus  himself,  leading  a  column 
from  the  Decuman  gate  of  the  camp,  was  wounded  by  a  blow 
from  a  sling ;  and  the  state  of  its  ramparts,  as  I  saw  them  at 

445 


{Tarn?  Cbou  Gill  1  Come 


saiatbtei  daybreak,  torn  down  in  immense  breaches,  and  filling  up  the 
aiooim{>rt  ditch  with  their  ruins,  showed  the  imminent  hazard  of  the 
whole  army.  Another  hour  of  daylight  would  probably  have 
been  its  ruin.  But  Judea  would  not  have  been  the  more 
secure,  for  the  factions,  relieved  from  the  presence  of  an 
enemy,  would  have  torn  each  other  to  pieces. 

The  loss  of  the  Jews  was  so  prodigious M  as  to  be  ac- 
counted for  only  by  their  eagerness  to  throw  away  life.  Not 
less  than  a  hundred  thousand  corpses  lay  between  the  camp 
and  Jerusalem.  No  prisoners  were  taken  on  either  side,  and 
the  crowds  that  now  approached  were  the  wounded,  gathered 
off  the  field,  to  be  crucified  in  memory  of  the  mission.  The 
coming  of  those  victims  put  an  end  to  the  possibility  or  the 
desire  of  sleep. 

The  immense  and  gloomy  hall,  one  of  those  in  use  for  the 
stately  banquets  customary  among  the  leaders  of  Jerusalem, 
was  suddenly  a  blaze  of  torches.  The  malefactors  and  cap- 
tives were  thrown  together  in  heaps,  guarded  by  strong  de- 
tachments of  spearmen  that  lined  the  sides,  like  ranges  of  iron 
statues,  overlooking  the  mixed  and  moving  confusion  of 
wretched  life  between.  Guilt,  sorrow,  and  shame  were  there 
in  their  dreadful  undisguise.  The  roof  rang  to  oaths  and 
screams  of  pain  as  the  wounded  tossed  and  rolled  upon  each 
other;  rang  to  bitter  lamentation,  and  more  bitter  still,  to 
those  self-accusing  outcries  which  the  near  approach  of  violent 
death  sometimes  awakens  in  the  most  daring  criminals.  For 
stern  as  the  justice  was,  it  still  was  justice ;  the  Jewish  char- 
acter had  fearfully  changed.  Rapine  and  bloodshed  had  be- 
come the  habits  of  the  populace,  and  among  the  panting  and 
quivering  wretches  before  me  begging  a  moment  of  life  I 
recognized  many  a  face  that,  seen  in  Jerusalem,  was  the  sign 
of  plunder  and  massacre. 

Repulsive  as  my  recollections  were,  I  spent  the  greater  part 
of  the  night  in  bandaging  their  wounds  and  relieving  the 
thirst  which  scarcely  less  than  their  wounds  wrung  them. 
There  were  women,  too,  among  those  wrecks  of  the  sword, 
and  now  that  the  frenzy  of  the  day  was  past,  they  exhibited 
a  picture  of  the  most  heart-breaking  dejection.  Lying  on  the 

446 


;Elea3ar  tbe  Convert 


ground  wounded  and  with  every  lineament  of  their  former  TTbe  jun?  of 
selves  disfigured,  they  cried  from  that  living  grave  alternately 
for  vengeance  and  for  mercy.  Then  tearing  their  hair  and 
flinging  it,  as  their  last  mark  of  hatred  and  scorn,  at  the 
legionaries,  they  devoted  them  to  ruin  in  the  name  of  the 
God  of  Israel.  Then  passion  gave  way  to  pain,  and  in  floods 
of  tears  they  called  on  the  names  of  parent,  husband,  and 
child,  whom  they  were  to  see  no  more! 

It  was  known  that  at  daybreak  the  prisoners  were  to  die, 
and  the  din  of  hammers  and  the  creaking  of  wagons  bearing 
the  crosses  broke  the  night  with  horrid  intimation.  At  length 
the  stillness  terribly  told  that  all  was  prepared.  The  night, 
measured  by  moments,  seemed  endless,  and  many  a  longing 
was  uttered  for  the  dawn  that  was  to  put  them  out  of  their 
misery.  Yet  when  the  first  gray  light  fell  through  the  case- 
ments and  the  trumpets  sounded  for  the  escort  to  get  under 
arms,  nothing  could  exceed  the  fury  of  the  crowd.  Some 
rushed  upon  the  spears  of  the  reluctant  soldiery;  some 
bounded  in  mad  antics  through  the  hall ;  others  fell  on  their 
knees  and  offered  up  horrid  and  shuddering  prayers;  many 
flung  themselves  upon  the  floor,  and  in  the  paroxysm  of  wrath 
and  fear  perished. 

Shocked  and  sickened  by  this  misery,  I  withdrew  from  the 
gate,  where  the  tumult  was  thickest,  as  the  soldiery  were  al- 
ready driving  them  out,  and  returned  to  my  old  lair,  to  await 
the  will  of  fortune.  But  I  found  it  occupied.  A  circle  of  the 
wounded  were  standing  round  a  speaker,  to  whom  they  listened 
with  singular  attention.  The  voice  caught  my  ear;  from  the 
crowd  round  him  I  was  unable  to  observe  his  features,  but 
once  drawn  within  the  sound  of  his  words,  I  shared  the  gen- 
eral interest  in  their  extraordinary  power.  He  was  a  teacher 
of  the  new  religion. 

In  my  wanderings  through  Jiidea  I  had  often  met  with 
those  Nazarenes.  Their  doctrines  had  a  vivid  simplicity  that 
might  have  attracted  my  attention  as  a  philosopher,  but 
philosophy  was  cold  to  their  power.  The  splendor  and 
strength  of  their  preaching  realized  the  boldest  traditions  of 
oratory.  Yet  their  triumph  was  not  that  of  oratory ;  they  dis- 

447 


£bou  Gill  f  Come 


trbc  TTeacbcrg  claimed  all  pretension  to  eloquence  or  learning,  declaring  that 
even  if  they  possessed  them,  they  dared  not  sully  by  human 
instruments  of  success  the  glory  due  to  Heaven.  They  carried 
this  self-denial  to  the  singular  extent  of  divulging  every  cir- 
cumstance calculated  to  deprive  themselves  and  their  doctrines 
of  popularity.  They  openly  acknowledged  that  they  were  of 
humble  birth  and  occupation,  sinners  like  the  rest  of  man- 
kind, and  in  some  instances  guilty  of  former  excesses  of  blind 
zeal,  persecutors  of  the  new  religion,  even  to  blood.  Of  their 
Master  they  spoke  with  the  same  openness.  They  told  of  His 
humble  origin,  His  career  of  rejection,  and  His  death  by  the 
punishment  of  a  slave.  To  the  scoffer  at  their  hopes  of  a  king- 
dom to  be  given  by  the  sufferer  of  that  ignominious  death,  they 
unhesitatingly  answered  that  their  hope  was  founded  express- 
ly upon  His  death,  and  that  they  lived  and  rejoiced  in  the  ex- 
pectation that  they  were,  like  Him,  to  seal  their  faith  with 
their  blood ! 

I  had  often  seen  enthusiasm  among  my  countrymen,  but  this 
was  a  spirit  of  a  distinct  and  a  loftier  birth.  It  had  the  vigor 
of  enthusiasm  without  its  rashness ;  the  gentleness  of  infancy, 
with  the  wisdom  of  years ;  the  solemn  reverence  of  the  Jew 
for  the  divine  Will,  free  from  his  jealous  claims  to  the  sole 
possession  of  truth.  The  Law  and  the  Prophets  were  per- 
petually in  their  hands,  and  they  often  embarrassed  our 
haughty  doctors  and  acrid  Pharisees  with  questions  and  in- 
terpretations to  which  no  reply  could  be  returned  but  a  sneer 
or  an  anathema.  But  in  the  power  of  conviction,  in  the 
master  art  of  striking  the  heart  and  understanding  with  sudden 
light,  like  the  bolt  from  heaven,  I  never  heard,  I  never  shall 
hear,  their  equals.  To  call  it  eloquence  was  to  humiliate  this 
stupendous  gift ;  the  most  practised  skill  of  the  rhetorician 
rjave  way  before  it,  like  gossamer,  like  chaff  before  the  whirl- 
wind. /  It  broke  its  way  through  sophistry  by  the  mere  weight 
of  thought.  It  had  a  rapid  reality  that  swept  the  hearer  along 
In  its  disdain  of  the  mere  decorations  of  speech,  in  the  bold 
and  naked  nerve  of  its  language,  there  was  an  irresistible 
energy — the  energy  of  the  tempest,  giving  proof  in  its  un- 
tamable rushings  of  its  descent  from  a  region  beyond  the 

448 


Blea3ar  tbe  Convert 


reach  of  man.      I  never  listened  to  one  of  these  preachers  but  Ube  strength 
with  a  consciousness  that  he  was  the  depository  of  mighty    °-ReUgionW 
knowledge.     He  had   the  whole  mystery  of  the  human  affec- 
tions bare  to   his  eye.     Among  a  thousand  hearts  one  word 
sent    conviction    at  the   same  instant.     All  their  diversities 
of   feeling,   sorrow,    and  error  were  shaken  at  once  by  that 
universal  language.     It  talked  to  the  soul! 

Of  these  overwhelming  appeals,  which  often  lasted  for 
hours  together  and  to  which  I  listened  overwhelmed,  nothing 
is  left  to  posterity  but  a  few  fragments,  and  those  letters 
which  the  Christians  still  preserve  among  their  sacred  wri- 
tings—great productions  and  giving  all  the  impression  that 
it  is  possible  to  transmit  to  the  future.  But  the  living  voice, 
the  illumined  countenance,  the  frame  glowing  and  instinct 
with  inspiration! — what  can  transmit  them? 

"Here,"  said  I,  as  I  often  stood  and  heard  their  voices 
thundering  over  the  multitude,  "here  is  the  true  power  that 
is  to  shake  the  temples  of  heathenism.  Here  is  anew  element 
come  to  overthrow  or  to  renovate  the  world." 

I  saw  our  holy  law  struggling  to  keep  itself  in  existence, 
compressed  on  every  side  by  idolatry ;  a  little  fountain  feebly 
urging  its  way  through  its  native  rocks,  but  exhausted  and 
dried  up  at  the  moment  it  reached  the  plain.  But  here  was 
an  ocean,  an  inexhaustible  depth  and  breadth  of  power  made 
to  roll  round  the  world,  and  be,  at  the  will  of  Providence,  the 
illimitable  instrument  of  its  bounty.  I  saw  our  holy  law 
feebly  sheltering  under  its  despoiled  and  insulted  ordinances 
the  truth  of  Heaven.  But  here  was  a  religion  scorning  a  nar- 
rower temple  than  the  earth  and  the  heaven ! 

Yet  I  turned  away  from  those  convictions.  A  thousand 
times  I  was  on  the  point  of  throwing  myself  at  the  feet  of 
the  men  who  bore  this  transcendent  gift  and  asking :  "  What 
shall  I  do?  "  A  thousand  times  I  could  have  cried  out:  "Al- 
most thou  persuadest  me  to  be  a  Christian."  But  oh,  my 
doubting  heart !  I  make  no  attempt  to  account  for  myself  or 
my  career — I  have  felt  as  strongly  driven  back  as  if  there 
were  an  actual  hand  forcing  me  away.  The  illusion  was  a 
willing  one,  and  it  was  suffered,  like  all  such,  to  hold  me  in 

29  449 


Gbou  Gill  I  Gome 


1  Tibe  Uour  is  its  captivity.  But  even  when  I  shrank  away  I  have  said : 
"  Whence  had  those  men  this  knowledge?  If  angels  from  God 
were  to  come  down  to  reclaim  the  world,  could  they  tell 
us  things  different  or  tell  us  more?  " 

I  looked  round  upon  the  labors  of  ancient  wisdom,  and  I 
saw  how  trivial  a  space  its  utmost  vigor  had  cleared,  and  how 
soon  even  that  space  was  overrun  by  the  rankness  of  the 
world,  and  I  said :  "  Here  is  the  central  fire,  the  mighty  res- 
ervoir of  light,  awaiting  but  the  divine  command  to  burst  up 
in  splendor,  consume  the  impurities  of  the  world  at  once,  and 
regenerate  mankind."  But  the  veil  was  upon  my  face.  I 
labored  against  conviction,  and  shutting  out  the  subject  from 
my  thoughts,  sternly  determined  to  live  and  die  in  the  faith  of 
my  fathers. 

I  now  heard  but  the  few  and  simple  closing  words  of  the 
speaker  in  this  group  of  the  devoted.  He  was  sorrowful  that 
the  Gospel  had  been  so  long  committed  to  his  hands  in  vain. 
He  had,  through  fear  of  his  own  inadequacy,  and  in  the  re- 
maining deference  to  the  prejudices  of  his  people,  suffered 
the  truth  to  decay,  and  seen  the  illustrious  labors  of  the 
apostles  without  following  their  example. 

"But,"  said  he,  "  I  was  rebuked ;  the  opportunity  once  neg- 
lected was  refused  even  to  my  prayers.  I  was  thenceforth  in 
perils,  in  civil  war,  in  domestic  sedition.  I  am  but  now  come 
from  a  dungeon.  But  in  my  bonds  it  pleased  Him,  in  whose 
hand  are  the  heavens,  to  visit  me.  I  knelt  and  prayed, 
acknowledging  my  sin,  and  beseeching  Him  that  before  I  died 
I  might  proclaim  His  truth  .before  Israel.  In  that  hour  came 
a  voice,  bidding  me  go  forth ;  and  lo !  my  chains  fell  from 
my  hands  and  I  went  forth.  And  when  I  came  to  the  gates  of 
the  dungeon,  I  willed  to  go  forward  to  the  city  of  David. 
But  I  was  forbidden,  and  my  steps  were  turned  here,  to 
awake  my  brethren  to  knowledge  before  they  perish." 

The  trumpets  rang  again  as  a  new  crowd  were  drained  off 
to  execution.  My  heart  sank  at  the  melancholy  sound,  but 
among  the  converts  there  was  not  a  murmur. 

"Kneel,"  said  the  preacher;  "the  hour  is  come!  " 

They  knelt  and  he  poured  out  his  spirit  aloud  in  prayer 

450 


tbe  Convert 


"Now  go  forth,"  he  said,  rising  alone,  "go  forth,  redeemed  "Oo 
of  the  Lord.  This  night  have  ye  known  that  He  is  gracious.  Of 
Those  things  that  God  before  hath  shown  by  the  mouth  of 
all  His  prophets  that  Christ  should  suffer,  He  hath  fulfilled. 
But  ye  have  heard,  but  ye  have  been  converted,  that  your  sins 
may  be  blotted  out  when  the  times  of  refreshing  shall  come. 
But  ye  have  been  called — but  ye  have  been  justified — but  ye 
shall  b«  glorified.  Our  hope  of  you  is  stedfast — knowing 
that  as  you  have  been  partakers  of  His  cross,  so  shall  ye  be 
of  His  kingdom.  Now  be  grace  unto  you,  and  peace  from 
the  King  of  Kings !  " 

He  laid  his  hands  upon  the  kneeling  converts  and  went 
slowly  round,  blessing  them.  His  face  had  been  hitherto 
turned  from  me,  and  I  was  too  much  impressed  by  his  words 
and  the  awful  circumstances  in  which  he  stood  even  to  con- 
jecture who  he  was.  At  length  in  moving  round  he  came  be- 
fore me.  To  my  inexpressible  surprise  and  sorrow  the  teacher 
was  Eleazar !  I  had  lost  every  trace  of  him  since  we  parted 
in  the  fortress,  and  with  sorrow  of  heart  had  concluded  him 
a  sacrifice  to  the  common  atrocities  of  our  ferocious  war.  His 
long  absence  was  now  explained,  but  no  explanation  could 
account  for  the  extraordinary  change  that  had  been  wrought 
upon  his  •  countenance.  Always  generous  and  manly,  yet  the 
softness  of  a  nature  made  for  domestic  life  had  concealed  the 
vigor  of  his  understanding.  He  was  the  general  reconciler  in 
the  disputes  of  the  neighboring  districts,  the  impartial  judge, 
the  unwearied  friend,  and  his  features  had  borne  the  stamp  of 
this  quiet  career. 

But  the  man  before  me  bore  uncontrollable  energy  in  every 
tone  and  feature.  The  failing  flame  of  the  torch  that  burned 
over  his  head  was  enough  to  show  the  transformation  of  his 
countenance  into  grandeur ;  his  glance  was  a  living  fire ;  the 
hair  that  floated  over  it,  changed  by  captivity  to  the  white- 
ness of  snow,  shaded  a  forehead  that  seemed  to  have  suddenly 
expanded  into  majesty.  If  I  had  met  such  a  man  in  a  des- 
ert, I  should  have  augured  in  him  the  founder  or  the  subverter 
of  a  throne. 

While  I  stood  absolutely  awed  by  his  presence,  a  cohort  of 

451 


abou  GUI  f  Come 


"Goto  the  spearmen  poured  in  to  gather  up  the  gleanings  of  the  hall. 
tBtonj1"0  Then  was  renewed  the  scene  of  misery.  W retches  whom  I  had 
thought  dead  started  from  the  ground  and  flung  themselves  at 
their  feet,  or  rushed  against  the  ranks,  tore  the  weapons  out 
of  their  hands,  and  broke  them  in  fury  through  the  hall. 
Others  dashed  their  foreheads  against  the  walls  and  floor  and 
died  upon  the  spot.  Others  sprang  up  the  projections  of  the 
sculpture  and  climbed  with  the  agility  of  leopards  to  the  roof, 
to  force  the  casements.  But  additional  troops  poured  in,  and 
the  crowd  were  overwhelmed  and  driven  out  to  undergo  their 
destiny. 

During  this  long  tumult,  the  Christian  converts  continued 
kneeling  and  evidently  absorbed  by  thoughts  that  extinguished 
fear.  Even  the  sounds  from  without,  that  terribly  told  what 
was  going  on,  and  every  tone  of  which  pierced  me  to  the 
heart,  produced  only  a  deeper  supplication  that  light  would 
be  given  to  the  souls  of  the  sufferers.  This  patience  probably 
induced  the  soldiery  to  leave  them  to  the  last,  while  they 
drove  out  the  more  untractable  at  the  point  of  the  spear,  like 
cattle  to  the  slaughter.  I  still  stood  aloof.  The  sacredness  of 
the  moments  that  came  before  death  were  not  to  be  inter- 
rupted. The  transformed  Eleazar  had  already  passed  away 
from  the  things  of  this  world.  I  would  not  force  them  on  him 
again,  nor  vainly  and  cruelly  disturb  the  holy  serenity  of  one 
at  peace  alike  with  man  and  Heaven. 

At  length  the  order  came. 

"Now,  my  beloved  brothers,  beloved  in  the  Lord,  go 
forth,"  said  Eleazar,  with  a  noble  exultation  glowing  in  his 
countenance,  "quit  ye  like  men;  be  strong;  fear  not  them 
who  can  kill  only  the  body.  Even  this  night  saw  you  still  in 
your  sins — the  wisdom  that  was  before  all  worlds,  hidden  from 
you.  But  He  that  calleth  light  out  of  darkness  hath  wrought 
in  you.  He  hath  poured  upon  you  that  Spirit  which  is  an 
earnest  of  your  inheritance,  holy,  incorruptible,  eternal  in  the 
heavens.  Now,  sons  of  Abraham,  redeemed  of  Christ,  kings 
and  priests  of  God  forever,  go  where  He  is  gone  to  prepare  a 
place  for  you — go  to  the  house  of  many  mansions — go  to  the 
kingdom  of  glory!" 

452 


Now,  my  beloved  brothers,  beloved  in  the  Lord,  go 
forth,'  said  Eleazar. " 

[seepage 


earn?  Cbou  dill  f  Come 


to  «b«    spearmen  poured 
>ct"       Then  wa 

thought  <lead  stai 

their  feet,  or  rushed  a 

of  their  hands,  . 

Others  dashed  their  i 

died  upon  the  &\ 

sculpture  and  eli: 

to  force  the  • 

the  crowd  were  ovenv  -n  out  to  und- 

destiny. 

During  this  long  tumult,  the  Christian  converts  e< 
kneeling  and  evidently  absorbed  by  thought- 
fear.    Even  the,  sounds  from  without,  ' 
\v.-is   going  on,  ai  which   ] 

!;••  i  rt,  i 
i"    - 


! 

^;  •• 

- 

i  :••  -li,'!l      '  '.\.\  ':    •- 

.•-••-..  :         '     r   \. 

at  {>«'ii<je  alike  with  n  en. 

At  length  the  order  c;r 

my    beloved    b; 

,"  said  Eleazar,  with  a   ;  Itation  L 

-fiiahce,  "quit  ye  like  men;  be   ^* 
mi  kill  only  the 
-iiis    -the  wisdom  tha' 
I'-d  He  that  call 

H»-  hath  poi;  o   you  that  Spirit  whl 

•  •'!••  inher.  >ly,  iuco: 

•••  .  .situs  of  Ai 

riehV.s  ..f  <MM!  forever,  go  wht 

for  you-  go  U<  tiie  house  of  many  man  the 

oin  of  glory!" 

453 


Copyright,  1901,  by  Funk  A  Wagnalls  Company,  N.  Y.  and  London. 


BIea3ar  tbc  Convert 


With  tears  and  blessings  Eleazar  took  water  and  baptized  Salatbiel  Cons 
the  converts.     They  sang   a  hymn,  and  then  rising,  moved 
toward  the  gate,  the  soldiers  standing  at  a  distance  and  look- 
ing on  at  this  more  than  heroic  resignation  with  eyes  of  re- 
spect and  wonder. 

I  could  restrain  myself  no  longer.  I  grasped  Eleazar;  he 
instantly  recognized  me,  and  the  color  that  shot  through  his 
cheek  showed  that  with  rne  carne  a  tide  of  memory.  I  was 
speechless ;  I  embraced  him ;  tears  of  old  friendship  dimmed 
my  eyes.  He  was  overpowered  like  myself,  and  could  only 
exclaim : 

"  Salathiel,  my  brother !  What  misfortune  has  brought  you 
here?  Where  is  Miriam?  Where  are  your  children?"  You 
can  not  be  a  prisoner?  Fly  from  this  dreadful  place !  " 

"  Never,  my  brother,  unless  I  can  save  you.  The  tyrants 
shall  have  the  curse  of  both  upon  their  heads." 

"  This  is  madness,  Salathiel — impiety !  Oh,  that  you  were 
this  moment  even  as  I  am — in  all  but  death !  It  is  your  duty 
to  live ;  you  have  many  ties  to  the  world. " 

He  paused,  and  with  a  look  upward  said  in  a  tone  of  prayer : 

"  Oh,  that  you  were  at  this  moment  awake  to  the  truths,  the 
holy  and  imperishable  consolations,  that  make  the  cross  to  me 
more  triumphant  than  a  throne !  " 

The  theme  was  a  painful  one.  He  instantly  saw  my  per- 
turbation and  f orebore  to  urge  me ;  but  fixing  his  humid  eyes 
on  heaven,  and  with  uplifted  hands,  he  gave  me  his  parting 
benediction. 

"May  the  time  come,"  said  he,  "when  the  veil  shall  be 
taken  away  from  the  face  of  my  unhappy  kindred  and  of  my 
undone  country!  WThen  the  days  of  the  desolation  of  Israel 
come  to  be  accomplished,  let  her  kneel  before  the  altar! — let 
her  weep  in  sackcloth  and  repent  of  her  iniquities ;  so  shall 
the  sun  of  glory  arise  upon  her  once  more." 

Then,  as  if  a  flash  of  knowledge  had  darted  into  his  soul, 
he  fixed  his  solemn  gaze  on  me. 

"  Salathiel,  you  are  not  fit  to  die ;  pray  that  you  may  not 
now  sink  into  the  grave.  You  have  fierce  impulses,  of  whose 
power  you  have  yet  no  conception.  Supplicate  for  length  of 

453 


Garrg  ZTbou  Gill  fl  Come 


•R  2>av> of  years;  rather  endure  all  the  miseries  of  exile;  be  alone  upon 
the  earth — weary,  wild,  and  desolate;  but  pray  that  you  may 
not  die  until  you  know  the  truths  that  Israel  yet  shall  know. 
Let  it  be  for  me  to  die,  and  seal  my  faith  by  my  blood.  Let 
it  be  for  you  to  live,  and  seal  it  by  your  penitence.  But  live 
in  hope.  Even  on  earth,  a  day  bright  beyond  earthly  splendor, 
lovely  beyond  all  the  visions  of  beauty,  magnificent  and  pow- 
erful beyond  the  loftiest  thought  of  human  nature,  shall 
come,  and  we,  even  we,  my  brother,  shall  on  earth  meet 
again." 


454 


CHAPTER  LIX 

The  Clemency  of  'Titus 

THERE  was  a  thrilling  influence  in  the  words  of  Eleazar  that 
left  me  without  reply,  and  for  a  while  I  stood  absorbed. 
When  I  raised  my  eyes  again,  I  saw  him  following  the  melan- 
choly train  down  the  valley  of  slaughter.  I  rushed  after  him. 
He  would  not  listen  to  my  entreaties ;  he  would  suffer  no  ran- 
som to  be  offered  for  his  life.  I  supplicated  the  tribune  of 
the  escort  for  a  moment's  delay  until  I  could  solicit  mercy 
from  Titus.  The  officer,  himself  deeply  pained  by  the  service 
on  which  he  was  ordered,  had  no  authority,  but  sent  a  cen- 
turion with  me  to  the  general  commanding. 

I  hurried  my  guide  through  the  immense  force  draAvn  up  to 
witness  the  offering  to  the  shades  of  the  Roman  senators  and 
soldiers.  The  morning  was  stormy,  and  clouds  covering  the 
ridges  of  the  hills  darkened  the  feeble  dawn  so  much  that 
torches  were  necessary  to  direct  the  movement  of  the  troops. 
The  wind  came  howling  through  the  spears  and  standards,  but 
with  it  came  the  fiercer  sounds  of  human  agony.  As  we 
reached  the  entrance  of  the  valley,  the  centurion  pointed  to  a 
height  where  the  general  stood  in  the  midst  of  a  group  of 
mounted  officers,  wrapped  in  their  cloaks  against  the  snows 
that  came  furiously  whirling  from  the  hills.  I  darted  up  the 
steep  with  a  rapidity  that  left  my  companion  far  below,  and 
implored  the  Roman  humanity  for  my  countrymen  and  for  my 
noble  and  innocent  brother. 

On  my  knee,  that  I  had  never  before  bowed  to  man,  I  be- 
sought the  muffled  form,  whom  I  took  for  the  illustrious  son 
of  Vespasian,  to  spare  men  "  whose  only  crime  was  that  of 
having  defended  their  country."  I  adjured  the  heir  of  the 
empire  "to  rescue  from  an  ignominious  fate,  subjects  driven 

455 


ttbou  GUI  fl  Come 


Pane?  of  into  revolt  only  by  violences  which  he  would  be  the  first  to 
disown.» 

"If,"  exclaimed  I,  "you  demand  money  for  the  lives  of  my 
countrymen,  it  shall  be  given  even  to  our  last  ounce  of  silver ; 
if  you  would  have  territory,  we  will  give  up  our  lands  and  go 
forth  exiles.  If  you  must  have  life  for  life,  take  mine,  and 
let  my  brother  go  free !  " 

The  form  slowly  removed  the  cloak  and  Cestius  was  before 
me. 

"So,"  said  he,  with  a  malignant  smile,  "you  can  kneel, 
Jew,  and  play  the  rhetorician;  however,  as  you  are  here, 
your  having  escaped  me  once  is  no  reason  why  you  should 
laugh  at  justice  a  second  time.  Here,  Torquatus,"  he  beckoned 
to  a  centurion,  "take  this  rebel  to  the  crosses  and  bring  me 
an  account  of  the  way  in  which  he  behaves.  You  see,  Jew, 
that  I  have  some  care  of  your  reputation.  A  fellow  careless 
as  you  are  would  probably  have  died  like  a  slave  in  a  skirr 
mish ;  but  you  shall  now  figure  before  your  countrymen  as  a 
patriot  should,  and  die  with  the  honors  of  a  native  rebel." 

I  disdained  to  answer.  The  officer  came  up,  attended  by 
his  spearmen,  and  I  was  led  down  to  the  valley.  A  storm  of 
extraordinary  violence,  long  gathering  on  the  sky,  broke  forth 
as  I  descended,  and  it  was  only  by  grasping  the  rocks  and 
shrubs  on  the  side  of  the  declivity  that  we  could  avoid  being 
blown  away.  We  staggered  along,  blinded,  and  half  frozen. 
The  storm  fell  heavily  upon  the  legions,  and  the  heights  were 
quickly  abandoned  for  the  shelter  of  the  valley.  The  valley 
itself  was  a  sheet  of  snow,  torn  up  by  blasts  that  drifted  it 
hazardously  upon  the  troops  and  threw  everything  into  con- 
fusion. But  the  sight  that  opened  on  me  as  I  passed  the  first 
gorge  effaced  storm  and  soldiery,  and  might  have  effaced  the 
world,  from  my  mind.  Through  the  whole  extent  of  the  naked 
and  rocky  hollow  were  planted  crosses.  The  ravine,  dark  even 
in  sunshine,  was  now  black  as  midnight,  and  its  only  light  was 
from  the  scattered  torches  and  the  fires  into  which  the  bodies 
of  the  victims  were  flung  as  they  died,  to  make  room  for 
others.  On  those  crosses  hung  hundreds,  writhing  in  miseries 
made  only  to  show  the  hideous  capability  of  suffering  that 

456 


Clemency  of  {Titus 


exists  in  our  frame.  I  was  instantly  recognized,  and  many  a  Saiatbiel  »we& 
hand  was  stretched  out  to  me  imploring  that  I  should  merci- 
fully hasten  death.  I  heard  my  name  called  on  as  their  prince, 
their  leader,  their  countryman;  I  heard  voices  calling  on 
me  to  remember  and  revenge !  Horror-struck,  I  raved  at  the 
legionaries  and  their  tyrant  master  until  I  sank  upon  the 
ground  in  exhaustion,  covering  my  head  with  my  mantle  that 
I  might  exclude  alike  sight  and  sound. 

A  voice  at  my  side  aroused  me ;  a  cross  had  just  been  fixed 
on  the  spot,  and  at  its  foot  stood,  preparing  for  death,  the 
man  who  had  spoken.  I  looked  upon  his  face  and  gave  an  in- 
voluntary cry.  For  seven-and-thirty  years  I  had  not  seen  that 
face ;  but  I  had  seen  it  on  a  NIGHT  never  to  be  erased  from 
my  remembrance  or  my  soul!  I  knew  every  feature  of  it 
through  all  the  changes  of  years ! 

Manhood  had  passed  into  age ;  the  bold  and  sanguine  coun- 
tenance was  furrowed  with  cares  and  crimes.  But  I  knew  at 
once  the  man  who  had  on  that  night  been  foremost  at  my  call ; 
the  daring  rabble-leader  who  had  first  shouted  at  my  fatal 
summons,  and  maddened  the  multitude,  as  I  had  maddened 
myself  and  him.  He  turned  his  glance  upon  me  at  the  cry. 
His  pale  visage  grew  black  as  death.  The  past  flashed  upon 
his  soul.  He  shook  from  head  to  foot  with  keen  convulsion. 
He  gasped  and  tried  to  speak,  but  no  words  carne.  He  beat 
his  breast  wildly  and  pointed  to  the  cross  with  dreadful  mean- 
ing. The  executioner,  a  brutal  slave,  scoffed  at  him  as  a  das- 
tard. He  heard  nothing,  but  with  his  pallid  eyes  staring  on 
me  and  his  hand  pointed  upward,  stood  stiffening.  Life  de- 
parted as  he  stood!  The  executioner,  impatient,  laid  his 
grasp  upon  him,  but  he  was  beyond  the  power  of  man.  He 
fell  backward  like  a  pillar  of  stone ! 

I  started  from  the  corpse,  and  utterly  unnerved,  looked 
wildly  round  for  some  way  of  escape  from  this  scene  of  de- 
spair. As  I  tried  to  penetrate  the  dusk  toward  the  bottom  of 
the  valley,  Eleazar  was  seen  at  the  head  of  his  little  band, 
standing  at  the  foot  of  a  cross,  surrounded  by  soldiers.  I 
thought  no  more  of  safety,  and  plunging  into  the  valley,  forced 
my  way  through  the  rocks  and  snowdrifts  until  I  reached  the 

457 


{Tbou  {Till  f  Come 


•news  from  foot  of  the  declivity  on  which  this  true  hero  was  about  to  die. 
But  there  an  impenetrable  fence  of  spears  stopped  me.  I  im- 
plored, execrated,  struggled;  Eleazar's  look  fell  on  me,  and 
the  smile  on  his  uplifted  countenance  showed  at  once  how 
much  he  thanked  me  and  how  calmly  he  was  prepared  to  bid 
the  world  farewell.  My  struggles  were  useless,  and  I  had  but 
one  resource  more.  I  flew  with  a  swiftness  that  baffled  pursuit 
to  the  camp ;  passed  the  entrenchments  by  the  breaches  left 
since  the  battle,  and  before  I  could  be  stopped  or  questioned, 
entered  the  tent  of  Titus. 

The  supper-lamps  were  burning,  and  three  stately-looking 
men  still  lingered  over  the  table,  one  of  the  few  unpopular 
luxuries  of  the  general.  A  large  packet  of  letters  was  being 
distributed  by  a  page,  and  while  I  stood  in  the  shade  of  the 
tent-curtain  a  moment,  until  I  should  ascertain  whether  Titus 
was  among  the  three,  I  was  made  the  unwilling  sharer  of  the 
secrets  of  Home. 

"  All  is  going  on  well,"  said  one  of  the  readers ;  "  here,  that 
truest  of  courtiers,  my  showy  friend,  Statilius,  sends,  com- 
piled by  his  own  hand,  an  endless  list  of  the  pomps  and  pro- 
cessions, games  and  congratulations,  in  the  Emperor's  prog- 
ress through  Italy.  The  intelligence  is  not  the  newest  in  the 
world,  but  it  would  break  my  courtly  friend's  heart  to  think 
that  he  had  not  the  happiness  of  giving  it  first.  So  let  him 
think,  and  so  let  him  worship  the  rising  sun,  until  another 
dynasty  comes,  and  he  discovers  that  if  this  sun  has  risen  in 
the  East,  a  much  finer  one  may  rise  in  the  West.  Thus  runs 
the  world." 

"War  with  the  Britons,"  read  another;  "they  have 
marched  a  hundred  of  their  naked  clans  from  the  hills.  The 
remnant  of  the  Druids  are  busy  again  with  their  incantations, 
and  it  is  more  than  suspected  that  the  whole  is  stirred  up  by 
our  incomparable  governor  of  western  Gaul,  who  affects  the 
diadem,  like  all  the  ridiculous  governors  of  the  age." 

"Well  then,  he  shall  have  his  wish,"  said  a  third,  "the 
Ehiperor  will  give  him,  of  course,  a  court  fit  for  a  rebel:  his 
council,  lictors;  and  his  palace,  the  Mamertine.  But  as  to 
the  Britons,  I  doubt  if  they  care  one  of  their  own  leather 

458 


tTbe  Clemency  of  Cftus 


pence  whether  he  wears  the  diadem  or  the  halter.  The  sav-  B  letter  from 
ages  have  probably  been  vexed  by  some  new  attempt  to 
squeeze  money  from  them — the  quickest  way  to  try  the  na- 
tional sensibilities.  They  have  the  spirit  of  trade  in  them  al- 
ready,  and  are  as  keen  in  the  barter  of  their  wolf-skins  and 
bulls' -hides  as  if  they  supplied  the  world  with  Tyrian  cano- 
pies and  Indian  pearls." 

"  A  letter  from  Sempronius !  "  was  the  next  topic ;  "  its  ex- 
quisite intaglio  and  elaborate  perfumes  would  betray  it  all  the 
world  over ;  full  of  scandals,  as  usual,  and  full  of  discontent. 
He  seems  quite  dismantled,  and  complains  that — the  sex  is 
growing  ugly,  the  seasons  comfortless,  and  mankind  dull ;  a 
certain  sign  that  my  emptiest  of  friends  and  the  best  dresser 
in  Italy  is  growing  old." 

"So  much  the  better  for  his  circle,"  said  another,  sipping 
his  goblet.  "  As  for  himself,  while  he  can  flourish  in  curls 
and  calumny,  he  will  be  happy,  the  true  man  of  high  life,  a 
prey  to  tailors,  a  figure  for  actors  to  burlesque,  and  an  invet- 
erate weariness  to  the  world." 

"  But  here  is  a  private  despatch  from  the  Emperor,  and, 
unfortunately  for  human  eyes,  written  in  his  own  most  un- 
readable hand." 

The  speaker  stood  up  to  the  lamp  and  gave  me  an  oppor- 
tunity of  observing  him.  His  countenance  and  figure  struck 
me  as  what  no  other  word  could  express  than — princely.58 
The  features  were  handsome  and  strongly  marked  Italian, 
and  the  form,  tho  tending  to  breadth  and  rather  under  the 
usual  stature,  was  eminently  dignified.  His  voice,  too,  was 
remarkable.  I  never  heard  one  that  more  completely  united 
softness  and  majesty.  Here  I  could  have  but  the  shadow  of 
a  doubt  that  I  had  found  Titus ;  yet  I  had  that  shadow.  Our 
meeting  in  the  field,  where  we  had  fought  hand  to  hand,  gave 
me  no  recollection  of  the  man  before  me.  Titus  might  not 
even  be  among  the  three,  and  nothing  but  seizure  and  ruin  could 
be  the  consequence  of  discovering  myself  to  subordinates. 

"Good  news,  it  is  to  be  hoped,"  said  both  the  listeners  to- 
gether as  they  deferentially  watched  his  perusal. 

"  None  whatever ;  a  mere  private  chronicle  in  the  Emperor's 

459 


ttbou  GUI  f  Come 


Saiatbict  HP*  usual  style ;  all  kinds  of  cddities  together.  He  laughs  at  me 
U8for  complaining  of  the  want  of  intelligence  from  Rome,  and 
says  that  unless  we  send  him  some,  the  politicians  of  the  city 
will  die  of  emptiness  or  raise  a  rebellion ;  and  that  he  is  the 
most  ill-used  personage  in  the  empire  in  being  obliged  to  supply 
brains  for  so  many  blockheads  and  keep  up  the  reputation  of 
an  honest  man  in  the  midst  of  so  many  knaves.  But  he  men- 
tions, and  for  that  I  am  deeply  grateful,  that  he  has  just 
erected  the  golden  statue,  which  I  vowed  so  long  ago  to  the 
memory  of  my  unfortunate  friend  Britannicus,  and  is  about 
to  dedicate  a  bronze  equestrian  one  to  me,  to  be  placed  in  the 
Circus.  He  concludes  the  epistle  by  saying  that  unless  the 
British  insurrection  speedily  blows  over,  he  shall  be  a  beggar, 
and  must  turn  tribune  for  a  livelihood ;  defends  his  imprac- 
ticable manuscript,  which,  he  says,  I  am  imitating  as  fast  as 
I  can,  and  repeats  his  old  jest,  that  if  I  were  not  born  to  be  a 
prince  and  an  idler,  I  might  have  made  my  bread  by  my 
talents  for  forgery." 

His  hearers  repaid  the  imperial  merriment  by  its  full  tribute 
of  loyal  laughter. 

Doubt  was  now  at  an  end,  and  I  advanced.  My  step  roused 
the  party,  and  they  started  up,  drawing  their  swords.  But 
the  quick  eye  of  Titus  recognized  me,  and  satisfying  his  com- 
panions by  a  gesture,  I  heard  him  pronounce  to  them :  "  My 
antagonist,  the  prince  of  Naphtali." 

There  was  no  time  for  ceremony,  and  I  addressed  him  at 
once. 

"Son  of  Vespasian,  you  are  a  soldier,  and  know  what  is 
due  to  the  brave.  I  come  to  solicit  your  mercy ;  it  is  the  first 
time  that  I  ever  stooped  to  solicit  man.  My  brother,  a  chief- 
tain of  Israel,  is  in  your  hands,  condemned  to  the  horrid  death 
of  the  cross;  he  is  virtuous,  brave,  and  noble;  save  him,  and 
you  will  do  an  act  of  justice  more  honorable  to  your  name 
than  the  bloodiest  victory." 

Titus  looked  at  me  in  silence,  and  was  evidently  perplexed ; 
then  he  returned  to  his  chair,  and  having  consulted  with  his 
companions,  hesitatingly  said: 

"  Prince,  you  know  not  what  you  have  asked.    I  am  bound, 

460 


Cbe  Clemencg  of  Gttus 


like  others,  by  the  Emperor's  commands,  and  they  strictly  are,    Ube  offer  of 
that  none  of  your  countrymen,  taken  after  the  offer  of  peace, 
must  live." 

"  Hear  this,  God  of  Israel !  "  I  cried ;  "  King  of  Vengeance, 
hear  and  remember !  " 

"You  are  rash,  prince,"  said  Titus  gravely;  "yet  I  can 
forgive  your  national  temper.  With  others,  even  your  ventur- 
ing here  might  bring  you  into  hazard.  But  the  perfidy  of 
your  people  makes  truce  and  treaty  impossible.  They  leave 
me  no  alternative.  I  lament  the  necessity.  It  is  the  desire 
of  the  illustrious  Vespasian  to  reign  in  peace.  But  this  is 
now  at  an  end." 

He  paused,  and  advancing  toward  me,  offered  his  hand  with 
the  words :  "  I  know  that  there  are  brave  and  high-minded 
men  among  your  nation.  I  have  been  astonished  at  the  valor, 
nay,  I  will  call  it  the  daring  and  heroic  contempt  of  suffering 
and  death,  that  this  siege  has  already  shown.  I  have  been  . 
witness,  too,"  and  he  smiled,  "of  the  prince  of  Naphtali's 
prowess  in  the  field,  and  I  would  most  willingly  have  such 
among  my  friends." 

I  waited  for  the  conclusion. 

"  Why  not  come  among  us,"  he  said;  "give  up  a  resistance 
that  must  end  in  ruin ;  abandon  a  cause  that  all  the  world 
sees  to  be  desperate ;  save  yourself  from  popular  caprice,  the 
violence  of  your  rancorous  factions,  and  the  final  fall  of  your 
city?  Be  Caesar's  friend,  and  name  what  possession,  power, 
or  rank  you  will. " 

The  thought  of  deserting  the  cause  of  Jerusalem  was  prof- 
anation. I  drew  back  and  looked  at  the  majestic  Roman  as 
if  I  saw  the  original  tempter  before  me. 

"  Son  of  Vespasian,  I  am  at  this  hour  a  poor  man ;  I  may 
in  the  next  be  an  exile  or  a  slave.  I  have  ties  to  life  as  strong 
as  ever  were  bound  round  the  heart  of  man ;  I  stand  here  a 
suppliant  for  the  life  of  one  whose  loss  would  embitter  mine  i 
Yet  not  for  wealth  unlimited,  for  the  safety  of  my  family, 
for  the  life  of  the  noble  victim  that  is  now  standing  at  the 
place  of  torture,  dare  I  abandon,  dare  I  think  the  impious 
thought  of  abandoning,  the  cause  of  the  City  of  Holiness. " 

461 


Cbou  GUI  f  Come 


Ubc  passing  of  The  picture  of  her  ruin  rose  before  my  eyes,  and  tears 
forced  their  way ;  my  strength  was  dissolved ;  niy  voice  was 
choked.  The  Romans  fixed  their  looks  on  the  ground,  affected 
by  the  sincerity  of  a  soldier's  sorrow.  I  took  the  hand  that 
was  again  offered.  •* 

"Titus!  in  the  name  of  that  Being  to  whom  the  wisdom  of 
the  earth  is  folly,  I  adjure  you  to  beware.  Jerusalem  is 
sacred.  Her  crimes  have  often  wrought  her  misery^- of  ten 
has  she  been  trampled  by  the  armies  of  the  stranger.  But  she 
is  still  the  City  of  the  Omnipotent,  and  never  was  blow  in- 
flicted on  her  by  man  that  was  not  terribly  repaid.  Hear  me 
a  moment. " 

Titus  stood  at  this,  and  I  continued : 

"  The  Assyrian  came,  the  mightiest  power  of  the  world ;  he 
plundered  her  Temple  and  led  her  people  into  captivity.  How 
long  was  it  before  his  empire  was  a  dream,  his  dynasty  extin- 
guished in  blood,  and  an  enemy  on  his  throne?  The  Persian 
came ;  from  her  protector  he  turned  into  her  oppressor,  and 
his  empire  was  swept  away  like  the  dust  of  the  desert !  The 
Syrian  smote  her :  the  sniiter  died  in  agonies  of  remorse,  and 
where  is  his  kingdom  now?  The  Egyptian  smote  her,  and  who 
now  sits  on  the  throne  of  the  Ptolemies?  Pornpey  came — the 
invincible  conqueror  of  a  thousand  cities,  the  light  of  Rome, 
the  lord  of  Asia  riding  on  the  very  wings  of  victory.  But  he 
profaned  her  Temple,  and  from  that  hour  he  went  down — 
down,  like  a  millstone  plunged  into  the  ocean !  Blind  counsel, 
rash  ambition,  womanish  fears  were  upon  the  great  statesman 
and  warrior  of  Rome.  Where  does  he  sleep?  What  sands 
were  colored  with  his  blood?  The  universal  conqueror  died  a 
slave  by  the  hands  of  a  slave !  Crassus  came  at  the  head  of 
the  legions ;  he  plundered  the  sacred  vessels  of  the  sanctuary. 
Vengeance  followed  him,  and  he  was  cursed  by  the  curse  of 
God.  Where  are  the  bones  of  the  robber,  and  his  host?  Go 
tear  them  from  the  jaws  of  the  lion  and  the  wolf  of  Parthia  — 
their  fitting  tomb ! 

"  You,  too,  son  of  Vespasian,  may  be  commissioned  for  the 
punishment  of  a  stiff-necked  and  rebellious  people.  You  may 
scourge  our  naked  vice  by  the  force  of  arms;  and  then  you 

463 


Cbe  Clemency  of 


may  return  to  your  own  land,  exulting  in  the  conquest  of  the  m  iRecognttion 

fiercest  enemy  of  Rome.     But  shall  you  escape  the  common 

fate  of  the  instrument  of  evil?     Shall  you  see  a  peaceful  old 

age?     Shall  a  son  of  yours  ever  sit  upon  the  throne?     Shall 

not  rather  some  monster  of  your  blood  efface  the  memory  of 

your  virtues,  and  make  Rome  in  bitterness  of  soul  curse  the 

Flavian  name?  " 

Titus  grew  pale,  and  shuddering,  covered  his  eyes  with  his 
mantle.  His  companions  stood  gazing  on  me  with  the  aspect 
of  men  gazing  on  the  messenger  of  fate. 

"  Spare  Eleazar,"  was  all  that  I  could  utter. 

Titus  made  a  sign  to  a  tribune,  who  flew  to  bear,  if  not  too 
late,  the  command  of  mercy. 

While  we  continued  in  a  silence  that  none  of  us  felt  in- 
clined to  break,  a  door  opened  behind  me  and  an  officer  en- 
tered. It  was  Septimius.  I  seized  him  by  the  thoat. 

"Villain!"  I  cried,  "give  me  back  my  child;  base  hypo- 
crite !  give  up  my  innocent  daughter.  Where  have  you  taken 
her?  Lead  me  to  her,  or  die !  " 

Titus  rose,  in  evident  surprise  and  indignation. 

"  What  do  I  hear,  Septimius?  Have  you  been  guilty  of  this 
offense?  Prince,  let  him  loose  until  his  general  shall  hear 
what  he  has  to  say  for  himself." 

Septimius  affected  the  most  extreme  and  easy  ignorance. 

"  Most  noble  Titus,  I  have  to  thank  you  for  having  saved  my 
neck  from  the  grasp  of  this  hasty  personage ;  but  beyond  that 
I  have  nothing  to  say  for  myself  or  any  one  else.  I  never  saw 
this  man  before.  I  know  no  more  of  his  daughter  than  of  the 
queen  of  Abyssinia,  or  the  three-formed  Diana;  and  by  the 
goddess,  I  swear  that  I  believe  him  to  be  perfectly  under  her 
influence,  and  either  a  lunatic  or  a  most  excellent  actor.  Be 
honest,  Jew,  if  you  can,  and  acknowledge  that  you  never  saw 
me  before  in  your  life." 

I  stood  in  astonishment ;  his  effrontery  struck  me  dumb. 

"You  perceive,  most  noble  Titus,"  he  went  on,  "how  a 
plain  question  puts  an  end  to  this  public  accuser's  charges. 
But  in  his  present  state,  whether  affected  or  real,  he  should 
not  be  suffered  to  go  at  large ;  suffer  me  to  send  him  to  my 

463 


darrg  Cbou  GUI  1  Come 


of  an  quarters,  where  he  shall  be  guarded,  until  we  at  least  find  out 
Bseaasin 


"Ingrate,"  I  exclaimed,  "you  make  me  hate  human  nature! 
Better  that  I  had  left  you  to  be  trampled  like  the  viper  that 
you  are." 

The  dark  eye  of  the  general,  again  turned  on  Septimius, 
seemed  to  require  a  graver  explanation. 

"  Ingrate  !  "  retorted  he.  "  By  Jupiter,  the  f  ellow  '  s  in  solence 
is  superb.  For  what  should  I  be  grateful?  but  for  my  escape 
from  his  detestable  hands.  Very  probably  he  figured  among 
the  rabble  that  would  have  murdered  me  as  they  did  the  rest 
of  us;  grateful,  yes,  I  ought  to  be  for  the  lesson  never  to 
venture  within  his  walls  on  the  faith  of  the  traitors  that  hold 
them.  But  let  me  be  allowed  to  say,  most  noble  Titus,  that 
you  condescend  too  much  in  listening  to  any  of  this  rabble  ; 
nay,  that  you  hazard  the  safety  of  the  state  in  hazarding  your 
person  within  the  reach  of  one  of  a  race  of  assassins." 

Titus  smiled,  and  waved  back  his  companions,  who,  on  the 
surmise,  were  approaching  him. 

"Let  me  be  honored  with  your  commands,"  urged  Septim- 
ius, "  to  take  this  person  in  charge  ;  felon  or  insane,  I  shall 
speedily  put  him  in  the  way  of  cure." 

A  tribune,  breathless  with  haste,  came  in  at  the  moment 
with  a  letter,  which  he  gave  to  Titus,  and  retired  to  a  distant 
part  of  the  tent  to  await  the  answer.  The  color  rose  to  the 
Roman's  cheek  as  he  looked  over  the  paper;  he  showed  it  to 
his  companions,  and  then  put  it  into  my  hand.  I  read  the 
words  : 

"  An  assassin,  hired  by  the  chiefs  of  Jerusalem,  yesterday 
passed  the  gates.  His  object  is  the  life  of  the  Roman  general. 
He  goes  under  the  pretense  of  recovering  one  of  his  family, 
supposed  to  be  carried  off  from  the  city,  but  who  has  never 
left  his  house.  He  has  communications  with  the  camp,  by 
which  he  can  enter  at  pleasure,  and  the  noble  Titus  can  not  be 
too  much  on  his  guard." 

The  note  was  in  an  enclosure  from  Cestius,  stating  that  it 
had  just  been  transmitted  to  him  from  a  high  authority  in 
Jerusalem.  I  flung  it  on  the  ground  with  the  scorn  due  to 

464 


Clemency  of 


such  an  accusation,  declaring  that  it  was  unnecessary  for  "  my  »ei&  in 
enemy  Cestius  to  have  put  his  name  to  a  document  which  so  u8  °  * 
easily  revealed  its  writer." 

"You,  of  course,  Septimius,"  said  the  general,  fixing  his 
penetrating  gaze  on  him,  "  could  know  nothing  of  this  letter. " 

Septimius  entered  on  his  defense  with  seriousness,  and 
showed  that  from  the  time  and  circumstances  110  share  in  it 
could  be  attached  to  him.  Titus  retired  a  few  steps,  and  hav- 
ing consulted  with  the  officers,  who  I  perceived  were  unani- 
mous for  my  being  instantly  put  to  death,  addressed  me  in 
that  grave  and  silver-toned  voice  which  characterized  the  sin- 
gular composure  of  his  nature. 

"  We  have  exchanged  blows  and  pledges  of  honor,  prince, 
and  I  will  not  suffer  myself  to  believe  that  a  man  of  your 
rank  and  soldiership  could  stoop  to  the  crime  charged  here. 
In  truth,  were  none  but  personal  considerations  in  question,  I 
should  instantly  set  you  free.  But  there  are  weighty  interests 
connected  with  my  life,  which  make  it  seem  fitting  to  my 
friends  and  advisers  that  in  all  cases  precautions,  should  be 
taken  which  otherwise  I  should  disdain.  To  satisfy  their 
minds,  and  the  spirit  of  the  Emperor's  orders,  I  must  detain 
you  for  a  few  days.  Your  treatment  shall  be  honorable." 

Septimius  advanced  again  to  demand  my  custody,  but  a 
look  repelled  the  request,  and  I  was  directed  to  follow  one  of 
the  secretaries  of  Titus. 


30  465 


CHAPTER  LX 

The  Treatment  of  a  Prisoner 

m  jfavorct>  A  TROOP  of  cavalry  were  at  the  tent  door.  We  set  off 
through  the  storm,  and  a  few  miles  from  the  camp  reached  a 
large  building  peopled  with  a  crowd  of  high  functionaries  at- 
tached to  Titus  as  governor  of  Judea. 

"You  must  be  a  prodigious  favorite  with  the  general,"  said 
my  companion,  as  we  passed  through  a  range  of  magnificent 
rooms  furnished  with  Italian  luxury,  "  or  he  would  never  have 
sent  you  here.  He  had  these  chambers  prepared  for  his  own 
residence,  but  your  countrymen  have  kept  him  too  busy,  and 
for  the  last  month  he  is  indebted  to  them  for  sleeping  under 
canvas. " 

I  observed  that  "  peace  was  the  first  wish  of  my  heart,  but 
that  no  people  could  be  reproached  with  contending  too  boldly 
for  freedom." 

"The  sentiment  is  Kornan,"  was  the  reply.  "But  let  us 
come  to  the  fact.  Titus,  once  fixed  in  the  government,  would 
be  worth  all  the  fantasies  that  ever  fed  the  declaimers  on  in- 
dependence. His  character  is  peace,  and  if  he  ever  comes  to 
the  empire,  he  will  make  the  first  of  monar.chs.  You  should 
try  him  and  reap  the  first  fruits  of  his  talent  for  making 
people  happy.  There,  look  round  this  room ;  you  see  every 
panel  hung  with  a  picture,  a  lyre,  or  a  volume;  what  does 
that  tell?  " 

"  Certainly  not  the  habits  of  a  camp ;  yet  he  is  distinguished 
in  the  field." 

"  No  man  more.  There  is  not  a  rider  in  the  legions  who  can 
sit  a  horse  or  throw  a  lance  better.  He  has  the  talents  of  a 
general  besides ;  and  more  than  all,  he  has  the  most  iron  per- 
severance that  ever  dwelt  in  man.  If  the  two  armies  were  to 
slaughter  each  other  until  there  was  but  half  a  dozen  spear- 

466 


ilbe  {Treatment  of  a  prisoner 


men  left  between  them,  Titus  would  head  his  remnant  and  Tibe  Emperor 
fight  until  he  died.  But  whether  it  is  nature  or  the  poison 
that  he  drank  along  with  Britannicus,  he  wants  the  eternal 
vividness  of  his  father.  Aye,  there  was  the  soldier  for  the 
legions.  Look,  prince,  at  this  picture,54  and  tell  me  what 
you  think  of  the  countenance." 

He  drew  aside  a  curtain  that  covered  a  superb  portrait  of 
the  Emperor.  I  saw  a  countenance  of  incomparable  shrewd- 
ness, eccentricity,  and  self -enjoyment.  Every  feature  told  the 
same  tale,  from  the  rounded  and  dimpled  chin  to  the  broad 
and  deeply  veined  forehead,  overhung  with  its  rough  mat  of 
hair.  The  hooked  nose,  the  deep  wrinkles  about  the  lips,  the 
thick  dark  eyebrows,  obliquely  raised  as  if  some  new  jest  was 
gathering,  showed  the  perpetual  humorist.  But  the  eye  be- 
neath that  brow — an  orb  black  as  charcoal,  with  a  spot  of  in- 
tense brightness  in  the  center,  as  if  a  breath  could  turn  that 
coal  into  flame — belonged  to  the  supreme  sagacity  and  deter- 
mination that  had  raised  Vespasian  from  a  tent  to  the  throne. 

The  secretary,  whose  jovial  character  strongly  resembled 
that  of  the  object  of  his  panegyric,  could  not  restrain  his  ad- 
miration. 

"  There, "  said  he,  "  is  the  man  who  has  fought  more  bat- 
tles, said  more  good  things,  and  taken  less  physic  than  any  em- 
peror that  ever  wore  the  diadem.  I  served  with  him  from 
decurion  up  to  tribune,  and  he  was  always  the  same — active, 
brave,  and  laughing  from  morn  to  night.  Old  as  he  is,  day 
never  finds  him  in  his  bed.  He  rides,  swims,  runs,  outjests 
everybody,  and  frowns  at  nothing  on  earth  but  an  old  woman 
and  a  physician.  He  loves  money,  'tis  true;  yet  what  he 
squeezes  from  the  overgrown,  he  scatters  like  a  prince.  But 
his  mirth  is  inexhaustible;  a  little  rough,  so  much  for  his 
camp  education;  but  the  most  curious  mixture  of  justice, 
spleen,  and  pleasantry  in  the  world." 

My  companion's  memory  teemed  with  examples. 

"An  Alexandrian  governor  was  ordered  to  Rome  to  ac- 
count for  a  long  course  of  extortion ;  immediately  on  his  ar- 
rival he  pretended  to  be  taken  violently  ill,  which,  of  course, 
put  off  the  inquiry.  The  Emperor  heard  of  this,  expressed  the 


Cbou  CHI  1  Come 


Bn  Emperor'B  greatest  interest  in  so  meritorious  a  public  servant,  paid  him 
a  visit  the  next  day,  disguised  as  a  physician,  ordered  him  a 
variety  of  medicines,  which  the  unfortunate  governor  was 
compelled  to  take,  renewed  his  visit  regularly  every  day,  and 
every  day  charged  him  an  enormous  fee!  Beggary  stared  the 
governor  in  the  face,  and  never  was  a  complication  of  dis- 
orders so  rapidly  cured! 

"  I  was  riding  out  in  his  attendance  one  day  a  few  miles 
from  Rome  when  we  saw  a  fellow  beating  his  mule  cruelly, 
and  on  being  called  to,  insisted  on  his  right  to  torture  the 
animal.  I  was  indignant  and  would  have  fought  the  mule's 
quarrel.  But  the  Emperor  laughed  at  my  zeal,  and  after  some 
jesting  with  the  brutal  owner,  bought  the  mule,  only  annex- 
ing the  condition  that  the  fellow  should  lead  it  to  the  stable ; 
he  actually  sent  him  with  the  mule  two  hundred  and  fifty 
miles  on  foot,  to  one  of  his  palaces  in  Gaul,  and  with  a  lictor 
after  him  to  see  that  the  contract  was  fairly  performed. 

"  One  of  his  chamberlains  had  been  soliciting  a  place  about 
court,  for,  as  he  said,  his  brother.  The  Emperor  found  out  the 
fact  that  it  was  for  a  stranger,  who  was  to  lay  down  a  large 
sum.  He  sent  for  the  stranger,  ratified  the  bargain,  gave  him 
the  place,  and  put  the  money  in  his  own  pocket.  The  cham- 
berlain was  in  great  alarm  on  meeting  the  Emperor  some  days 
after.  'Your  dejection  is  natural  enough,'  said  Vespasian,  'as 
you  have  so  lately  lost  your  brother ;  but,  then,  you  should 
wish  me  joy,  for  he  has  become  mine ! ' 

"  By  the  altar  of  Monms  and  the  brass  beard  of  the  god 
Ridiculous,  I  could  tell  you  a  hundred  things  of  the  same 
kind,"  continued  the  jovial  and  inexhaustible  secretary ;  "  take 
but  one  more. 

"One  of  our  great  patricians,  an  ^Emilian,  and  as  vain 
and  insolent  a  beast  as  lives,  had  ordered  a  quantity  of  a 
particular  striped  cloth,  which  it  cost  the  merchant  infinite 
pains  to  procure.  But  the  great  man's  taste  had  altered  in  the 
mean  time,  and  he  returned  the  cloth  without  ceremony, 
threatening,  besides,  that  if  the  merchant  made  any  clamors 
on  the  subject,  his  payment  should  be  six  months'  work  in  the 
slave-mill.  The  man,  on  the  verge  of  ruin,  came,  tearing  his 

468 


Cbe  {Treatment  of  a  prisoner 


hair  and  bursting  with  rage,  to  lay  his  complaint  before  the 
Emperor,  who,  however,  plainly  told  him  that  there  was  no 
remedy,  but  desired  him  to  send  a  dress  of  the  same  cloth  to 
the  palace.  Within  the  week  the  patrician  was  honored  with 
a  message  that  the  Emperor  would  dine  with  him,  and  the 
message  was  accompanied  with  the  dress  and  an  intimation 
that  Vespasian  wished  to  make  it  popular.  Rome  was  in- 
stantly ransacked  for  the  cloth,  but  not  a  yard  of  it  was  to  be 
found  but  in  the  merchant's  hands.  The  patrician's  household 
must  be  equipped  in  it,  cost  what  it  would.  The  dealer,  in 
pleasant  revenge,  charged  ten  times  the  value,  and  his  fortune 
was  made  in  a  day. 

"  Now  Titus,  with  many  a  noble  quality,  is  altogether  an- 
other man.  He  abhors  the  Emperor's  rough-hewn  jocularity ; 
he  speaks  Greek  better  than  the  Emperor  does  his  own  tongue ; 
is  a  poet,  and  a  clever  one  besides,  in  both  languages ;  extem- 
porizes verse  with  elegance ;  is  no  mean  performer  on  the  lyre ; 
sings ;  is  a  picture-lover,  and  so  forth.  I  believe  from  my 
soul  that,  with  all  his  talents  for  war  and  government,  he 
would  rather  spend  his  day  over  books  and  his  evenings  among 
poets  and  philosophers,  or  telling  Italian  tales  to  the  ears  of 
some  of  your  brilliant  orientals,  than  ride  over  the  world 
at  the  head  of  legions.  And  now,"  said  my  open-hearted 
guide,  "  having  betrayed  court  secrets  enough  for  one  day,  I 
must  leave  you  and  return  to  the  camp.  Here  you  will  spend 
your  time  as  you  please  until  some  decision  is  come  to.  The 
household  is  at  your  service,  and  the  officer  in  command  will 
attend  your  orders.  Farewell !  " 

Captivity  is  wretchedness,  even  if  the  captive  trod  on  cloth 
of  gold.  My  treatment  was  imperial ;  a  banquet  that  might 
have  feasted  a  Roman  epicure  was  laid  before  me ;  a  crowd 
of  attendants,  sumptuously  habited,  waited  round  the  table ; 
music  played,  perfumes  burned,  and  the  whole  ceremonial  of 
princely  luxury  was  gone  through,  as  if  Titus  were  present  in- 
stead of  his  heart-broken  prisoner.  But  to  that  prisoner  bread 
and  water  with  freedom  would  have  been  the  truer  luxury. 

I  wandered  through  the  spacious  apartments,  dazzled  by 
their  splendor  and  often  ready  to  ask :  "  Can  man  be  unhappy 

469 


Sbou  CM  f  Come 


Saiatbici  in  the  midst  of  these  things?  "  yet  answering  the  question 
in  the  pang  of  heart  which  they  were  so  powerless  to  soothe. 
I  took  down  the  richly  blazoned  volumes  of  the  Western 
poets,  and  while  at  every  line  that  I  unrolled,  I  felt  how  much 
richer  were  their  contents  than  the  gold  and  gems  that  encased 
them,  still  I  felt  the  inadequacy  of  even  their  beauty  and  vigor 
to  console  the  spirit  stricken  by  real  calamity.  I  strayed  to 
the  crystal  casements,  through  which  the  sunset  had  begun  to 
pour  in  a  tide  of  glory.  The  landscape  was  beautiful — a 
peaceful  valley,  shut  in  with  lofty  eminences,  on  whose  marble 
foreheads  the  sunbeams  wrought  coronets  as  colored  and  glit- 
tering as  ever  were  set  with  chrysolite  and  ruby.  The  snow 
was  gone  as  rapidly  as  it  had  come,  and  the  green  earth,  in 
the  freshness  of  the  bright  hour,  might  almost  be  said  "  to 
laugh  and  sing."  The  air  came,  laden  with  the  fragrance  of 
flowers.  There  was  a  light  and  joyous  beauty  in  even  the 
waving  of  the  shrubs  as  they  shook  off  the  moisture  in  spark- 
les at  every  wave;  birds  innumerable  broke  out  into  song, 
and  fluttered  their  little  wet  wings  with  delight  in  the  sun- 
shine ;  and  the  rivulet,  still  swelled  with  the  snows,  ran  dim- 
pling and  gurgling  along  with  a  music  of  its  own. 

But  the  true  sadness  of  the  soul  is  not  to  be  scattered  even 
by  the  loveliness  of  external  things.  I  turned  from  the  sun 
and  nature  to  fling  myself  on  my  couch  and  feel  that  where 
a  man's  treasure  is,  there  his  heart  is  also. 

"  What  might  not  in  those  hours  be  doing  in  Jerusalem?  " 
mused  I ;  "  what  fanatic  violence,  personal  revenge,  or  public 
license  might  not  be  let  loose  while  I  was  lingering  among  the 
costly  vanities  of  the  pagan?  My  enemy  at  least  was  there 
in  the  possession  of  unbridled  authority  " ;  and  the  thought 
was  in  itself  a  history  of  evil.  "  And  where  was  Esther,  my 
beloved,  the  child  of  my  soul,  the  glowing  and  magnificent- 
minded  being  whose  beauty  and  whose  thoughts  were  scarcely 
mortal?  Might  she  not  be  in  the  last  extremity  of  suffering, 
upbraiding  me  for  having  forgotten  my  child;  or  in  the  hands 
of  robbers,  dragging  her  delicate  form  through  rocks  and 
sands;  or  dying,  without  a  hand  to  succor,  or  a  voice  to 
cheer  her  in  the  hour  of  agony?  " 

470 


treatment  of  a  prisoner 


Thought   annihilates  time,  and  I  had  lain  one  day  thus  in  tbe  paiact 
sinking  from  depth  to  depth,  I  know  not  how  long,  until  I     °      nanu8 
was  roused  by  the  entrance  of  the  usual  endless  train  of  at- 
tendants ;  and  the  chief  steward,  a  venerable  man  of  my  coun- 
try, whom  Titus  had  generously  continued  in  the  office  where 
he  found  him,  came  to  acquaint  me  that  the  banquet  awaited 
my  pleasure.    The  old  man  wept  at  the  sight  of  a  chieftain 
of  Israel  in  captivity ;  his  heart  was  full,  and  when  I  had  dis- 
missed the  attendants  with  their  uutasted  •  banquet,  he  gave 
way  to  his  recollections. 

The  palace  was  once  the  dwelling  of  Ananus,  the  high 
priest  whose  death  under  the  cruelest  circumstances  was  the 
leading  triumph  of  the  factions  and  the  ruin  of  Jerusalem. 
In  the  very  chamber  where  I  sat  he  had  spent  the  last  day  of 
his  life,  and  left  it  only  to  take  charge  of  the  Temple  on  the 
fatal  night  of  the  assault  by  the  Idumteans.  He  was  wise  and 
vigorous,  but  what  is  the  wisdom  of  man?  A  storm,  memor- 
able in  the  annals  of  devastation,  had  raged  during  the  night. 
Ananus,  convinced  that  all  was  safe  from  human  hostility  in 
this  ravage  of  the  elements,  suffered  the  wearied  citizens  to 
retire  from  their  posts.  The  gates  were  opened  by  traitors ; 
the  Idumseans,  furious  for  blood  and  spoil,  rushed  in;  the 
guard,  surprised  in  their  sleep,  were  massacred ;  and  by  day- 
light eight  thousand  corpses  lay  on  the  sacred  pavements  of 
the  Temple,  and  among  them  the  noblest  and  wisest  man  of 
Judea,  Ananus. 

"I  found,"  said  the  old  man,  "the  body  of  my  great  and 
good  lord  under  a  heap  of  dead,  but  was  not  suffered  jbo  convey 
it  to  the  tomb  of  his  fathers,  in  the  valley  of  Jehoshaphat.  I 
brought  his  sword  and  his  phylactery  here,  and  they  are  now 
the  only  memorials  of  the  noblest  line  that  perished  since  the 
Maccabee.  In  these  chambers  I  have  remained  since,  and  in 
them  it  is  my  hope  to  die.  The  palace  is  large ;  the  Roman 
senators  and  officers  reside  in  another  wing,  which  I  have  not 
entered  for  years,  and  shall  never  enter ;  mild  masters  as  the 
Romans  have  been  to  me,  I  can  not  bear  to  see  them  masters 
within  the  walls  of  a  chief  of  my  country." 

The  story  of  Naomi  occurred  to  me,  but  she  was  so  much 

471 


{Tarn?  £bou  Gill  U  Come 


beyond  my  hope  of  discovery  that  I  forbore  to  renew  the  old 
man's  griefs  by  her  name.  A  sound  of  trumpets  and  the  tram- 
pling of  cavalry  were  now  heard  from  the  portal. 

"It  is  but  the  nightly  changing  of  the  troops,"  said  the 
steward,  "  or  perhaps  the  arrival  of  officers  from  the  camp ; 
they  often  ride  here  after  nightfall  to'  supper,  spend  a  few 
hours,  and  by  daybreak  are  gone.  But  of  them  and  their  pro- 
ceedings I  know  nothing.  No  Jew  enters,  or  desires  to  enter, 
the  banquet-hall  of  the  enemies  of  his  country." 

A  knocking  at  the  door  interrupted  him,  and  an  officer  ap- 
peared with  an  order  for  the  prisoner  in  the  palace  to  be  re- 
moved into  strict  confinement.  The  venerable  steward  gave 
way  to  tears  at  the  new  offense  to  a  leader  of  his  people.  I  felt 
some  surprise,  but  merely  asked  what  new  alarm  had  de- 
manded this  harsh  measure. 

"  I  know  no  more, "  replied  the  officer,  "  than  that  the  gen- 
eral has  arrived  here  a  few  minutes  since,  and  that  as  some 
attempts  have  been  lately  made  on  his  life,  the  council  have 
thought  proper  to  put  the  Jewish  poniards  as  much  out  of  his 
way  as  they  can.  The  order  is  universal,  and  I  am  directed  to 
lead  you  to  your  apartment." 

"Then  let  them  look  to  my  escape,"  said  I;  "I  thank  the 
council  for  this  service.  While  I  continued  above  suspicion, 
they  might  have  thrown  open  every  door  in  their  dungeons. 
But  since  they  thus  degrade  me,  you  may  tell  them  that  their 
walls  should  be  high  and  their  bolts  strong  to  keep  me  their 
prisoner.  Lead  on,  sir." 

The  council  seemed  to  have  been  aware  of  my  opinion,  for 
my  new  chamber  was  in  one  of  the  turrets.  The  lower  floor 
being  occupied  by  the  guard,  there  could  be  no  undermining ; 
the  smallness  of  the  building  laid  all  the  operations  of  the 
fugitive  open  to  the  sentinel's  eye,  and  the  height  was  of 
itself  an  obstacle  that,  even  if  the  bars  were  forced,  might 
daunt  the  adventurer.  The  steward  followed  me  to  my  den, 
wringing  his  hands.  Yet  the  little  apartment  was  not  incom- 
modious ;  there  were  some  obvious  attempts  at  rendering  it  a 
fitter  place  of  habitation  than  usual,  and  a  more  delicate  frame 
than  mine  might  have  found  indulgence  in  its  carpets  and 

472 


{Treatment  of  a  prisoner 


cushions.  Even  my  solitary  hours  were  not  forgotten,  and  Saiatbtd's 
some  handsome  volumes  from  the  governor's  library  occupied 
a  corner.  There  was  a  lyre,  too,  if  I  chose  to  sing  my  sor- 
rows, and  a  gilded  chest  of  wine  if  I  chose  to  drink  them 
away.  The  height  was  an  inconvenience  only  to  my  escape, 
but  a  lover  of  landscape  and  fresh  air  would  have  envied  me, 
for  I  had  the  range  of  the  horizon  and  the  benefit  of  every 
breeze  from  its  four  quarters.  A  Chaldee  would  have  chosen 
it  for  his  commerce  with  the  lights  of  heaven,  for  every  star, 
from  the  gorgeous  front  of  Aldebaran  to  the  minutest  diamond 
spark  of  the  sky,  shone  there  in  all  its  brightness.  And  a 
philosopher  would  have  rejoiced  in  the  secluded  comfort  of 
a  spot  which,  in  the  officer's  parting  pleasantry,  was  in  every 
sense  "  so  much  above  the  world. " 


473 


CHAPTER  LXI 

(A  Steward's  Narrative 
Saiatbiei's        To  me.  the  prison  and  the  palace  were  the  same.     No  be- 

fiuFtk£n 

liever  in  fate,  and  a  strong  believer  in  the  doctrine  that  in  the 
infinite  majority  of  cases  the  unlucky  have  to  thank  only 
themselves,  I  was  yet  irresistibly  conscious  of  my  own  stern 
exception.  That  there  was  an  influence  hanging  over  me  I 
deeply  knew ;  that  I  might  as  well  strive  with  the  winds  was 
the  fruit  of  my  whole  experience ;  and  with  the  loftiest  cal- 
culation of  the  wonders  that  human  energy  may  work,  I  aban- 
doned myself  on  principle  to  the  chances  of  the  hour.  I  was 
the  weed  upon  the  wave,  and  whether  above  or  below  the 
surface,  I  knew  that  the  wave  would  roll  on,  and  that  I  must 
roll  on  along  with  it.  I  was  the  atom  in  the  air,  and  whether 
I  should  float  unseen  forever  or  be  brought  into  sight  by  the 
gilding  of  some  chance  sunbeam,  my  destiny  was  to  float  and 
quiver  up  and  down.  I  was  the  vapor,  and  whether,  like  the 
evening  cloud,  my  after-years  were  to  evolve  into  glorious 
shapes  and  colors,  or  I  should  creep  along  the  pools  and  val- 
leys of  fortune  till  the  end  of  time — yet  there  I  was,  still  in 
existence,  and  that  existence  bound  by  laws  incapable  of  the 
choice  or  the  caprices  of  man. 

I  had  yet  to  learn  the  true  burden  of  my  great  malediction, 
for  the  circumstances  of  my  life  were  adverse  to  its  fated  soli- 
tude of  soul ;  its  bitter  conviction  that  there  was  not  a  being 
under  the  canopy  of  heaven  whose  heart  was  toward  me.  I 
was  still  in  the  very  tumult  of  life  and  battling  with  the  bold- 
est. Public  cares,  personal  interests,  glowing  attachments, 
the  whole  vigorous  activity  of  the  citizen  and  the  soldier 
were  mine.  I  was  still  husband,  father,  friend,  and  champion ; 
my  task  was  difficult  and  grave,  but  it  was  ardent,  proud,  and 
animating.  I  was  made  for  this  energy  of  the  whole  man ; 

474 


B  Stewar&'s  IRarrattve 


master  of  a  powerful  frame  that  defied  fatigue,  and  was  proof  Ube  fetters  of 
against  the  sharpest  visitations  of  nature ;  and  of  an  intellect 
which,  whatever  might  be  its  rank,  rejoiced  in  tasking  itself 
with  labors  that  appalled  the  multitude. 

Idle  as  I  knew  the  praise  of  man,  and  sovereign  as  was  my 
scorn  for  the  meanness  which  stoops  to  the  vulgar  purchase 
of  popularity,  I  felt  and  honored  the  true  fame — that  renown 
whose  statue  is  devoted,  not  by  suspicious  and  clamorous  flat- 
tery of  the  time,  but  by  the  solemn  and  voluntary  homage  of 
the  future,  whose  splendor,  like  that  of  a  new-born  star,  if  it 
take  ages  to  reach  mankind,  is  sure  to  reach  them  at  last,  and 
shines  for  ages  after  its  fount  is  extinguished ;  whose  essential 
power,  if  it  be  coerced  and  obscured,  like  that  of  a  man  while 
his  earthly  tenement  still  shuts  him  in,  is  thenceforth  to  de- 
velop itself  from  strength  to  strength — the  mortal  putting  on 
immortality. 

In  the  whirl  of  such  thoughts  I  was  often  carried  away,  to 
the  utter  oblivion  of  my  peculiar  fate,  for  the  man  and  his  as- 
sociations were  strong  within  rue,  in  defiance  of  the  command. 
The  gloom  often  passed  away  from  my  soul,  as  the  darkness 
does  from  the  midnight  ocean  in  the  dash  and  foam  of  its  own 
waters.  Nature  is  perpetual  and  drives  the  affections,  sleep- 
ing or  waking,  as  it  drives  the  blood  through  the  old  channels. 
It  was  only  at  periods,  produced  by  strong  circumstance,  that 
I  felt  the  fetter,  but  then  the  iron  entered  into  my  soul !  To 
this  partial  pressure  belongs  the  singular  combination  of  such 
a  fate  as  mine  with  an  interest  in  the  world,  with  my  loves 
and  hates,  my  thirst  of  human  fame,  my  reluctance  at  the 
prospect  of  the  common  ills  and  injiiries  of  life.  I  was  a  man, 
and  this  is  the  whole  solution  of  the  problem.  For  one  remote 
evidence  that  I  was  distinct  from  mankind,  I  had  ten  thou- 
sand, direct  and  constant,  that  I  was  the  same.  But  for  the 
partiality  of  the  pressure  there  was  a  lofty  reason. 

The  man  who  feels  himself  above  the  common  fate  is  in- 
stantly placed  above  the  common  defenses  of  mankind.  He 
may  calumniate  and  rum ;  he  may  burn  and  plunder ;  he  may 
be  the  rebel  and  the  murderer.  Fear  is,  after  all,  the  great 
defense.  But  what  earthly  power  could  intimidate  him? 

475 


Cbou  GUI  f  Come 


H  flfteasaae  What  were  chains  or  the  scaffold  to  him  who  felt  instinctively 
u8  that  time  was  not  made  for  his  being ;  that  the  scaffold  was 
impotent;  that  he  should  yet  trample  on  the  grave  of  his 
judge,  on  the  moldered  throne  of  his  king,  on  the  dead 
sovereignty  of  his  nation?  With  his  impassiveness,  his 
experience,  his  knowledge,  and  his  passions,  concocted  and 
blackened  by  ages,  what  breast  could  be  safe  against  the  dag- 
ger of  this  tremendous  exile?  What  power  be  secure  against 
the  rebel  machination  or  the  open  hostility  of  a  being  invested 
with  the  strength  of  immortal  evil?  What  was  to  hinder  a 
man  made  familiar  with  every  mode  of  influencing  human 
passions— the  sage,  the  sorcerer,  the  fount  of  tradition,  the 
friend  of  their  worshiped  ancestors  —  from  maddening  the 
multitude  at  whose  head  he  willed  to  inarch,  clothed  in  the 
attributes  of  almost  a  divinity? 

But  I  was  precluded  or  saved  from  this  fearful  career  by 
the  providential  feeling  of  the  common  repugnances,  hopes, 
and  fears  of  human  nature.  Pain  and  disease  were  instinc- 
tively as  much  shunned  by  me  as  if  I  held  my  life  on  the 
frailest  tenure ;  death  was  as  formidable  as  my  natural  soldier- 
ship would  suffer  it  to  be ;  and  even  when  the  thought  oc- 
curred that  I  might  defy  extinction,  it  threw  but  a  darker 
shade  over  the  common  terrors,  to  conceive  that  I  must  un- 
dergo the  suffering  of  death  without  the  peace  of  the  grave. 
Man  bears  his  agony  for  once,  and  it  is  done.  Mine  might  be 
borne  to  the  bitterest  extremity,  but  must  be  borne  with  the 
keener  bitterness  of  the  knowledge  that  it  was  in  vain. 

I  was  recalled  from  those  reveries  to  the  world  by  a  paper 
dropped  through  a  crevice  in  the  rafters  above  my  head.  On 
seeing  its  signature,  "  Septiniius,"  my  first  impulse  was  to  tear 
it  in  pieces,  but  Esther's  name  struck  me,  and  I  read  it  through. 

"  You  must  not  think  me  a  villain,  tho  I  confess  appear- 
ances are  much  in  favor  of  the  supposition.  But  I  had  no 
choice  between  denying  that  I  knew  you  and  being  instantly 
beheaded.  This  comes  of  discipline.  Titus  is  a  disciplinarian 
of  the  first  order,  and  the  consequence  is  that  no  man  dares 
acknowledge  any  little  irregularity  before  him:  so  far,  his 
morality  propagates  knaves.  But  I  must  clear  myself  of  the 

476 


Steward's  flarratfve 


charge  of  having  acted  disingenuously  by  your  daughter.     I     B  lover's 
take  every  power  that  binds  the  soul  to  witness  that  I  know 
not  what  is  become  of  her ;  nay,  I  am  in  the  deepest  anxiety 
to  know  the  fate  of  one  so  lovely,  so  innocent,  and  so  high- 
minded. 

"And  now,  prince,  that  I  am  out  of  the  reach  of  your 
frown,  let  me  have  courage  to  disburden  my  heart.  I  have 
long  known  Esther,  and  as  long  loved  her.  From  the  time 
when  I  was  first  received  within  your  palace  in  Naphtali — 
and  I  have  not  forgotten  that  to  your  hospitality  I  then  owed 
my  life — I  was  struck  with  her  talents  and  her  beauty.  When 
the  war  separated  us  and  I  returned  to  Rome,  neither  in 
Rome  nor  in  the  empire  could  I  see  her  equal.  To  solicit  our 
union  I  gave  up  the  honors  and  pleasures  of  the  court  for  the 
campaign  in  your  hazardous  country.  I  searched  Judea  in 
vain,  and  it  was  chiefly  in  the  vague  hope  of  obtaining  some 
intelligence  of  Esther  that  I  solicited  the  command  of  our  un- 
fortunate mission.  There  I  felt  all  hazard  more  than  repaid 
by  her  sight,  to  me  lovelier  than  ever.  I  will  acknowledge 
that  I  prolonged  my  confinement  to  have  the  opportunity  of 
obtaining  her  hand.  But  her  religious  scruples  were  uncon- 
querable. I  implored  her  leave  to  explain  myself  to  you. 
Even  this,  too,  she  refused,  '  from  her  knowledge  of  jrour  de- 
cision.' What  then  was  I  to  do?  Loving  to  excess,  bewil- 
derd  by  passion,  oppressed  with  disappointment,  and  seeing 
but  one  object  on  earth,  my  evil  genius  prompted  me  to  act 
the  dissembler. 

"  Under  pretext  of  disclosing  some  secrets  connected  with 
your  safety  I  induced  her  to  meet  me,  for  the  first  and  the 
last  time,  on  the  battlements.  There  I  besought  her  to  fly 
with  me — to  be  my  bride — to  enjoy  the  illustrious  rank  and 
life  that  belonged  to  the  imperial  blood ;  and  when  we  were 
once  wedded,  to  solicit  the  approval  of  her  family.  I  was  sin- 
cere ;  I  take  the  gods  to  witness  I  was  sincere.  But  my  en- 
treaty was  in  vain ;  she  repelled  me  with  resolute  scorn ;  she 
charged  me  with  treachery  to  you,  to  her,  to  faith,  and  to 
sacred  hospitality.  I  knelt  to  her — she  spurned  me.  In  dis- 
traction, and  knowing  only  that  to  live  without  her  was 

477 


Ebon  Gill  1f  Come 


Uttus  Circs  a  wretchedness,  I  was  bearing  her  aAvay  to  the  gate  when  we 
were  surrounded  by  armed  men.  My  single  attendant  fled;  I 
was  overpowered,  and  I  saw  Esther,  my  lovely  and  beloved 
Esther,  no  more." 

There  was  an  honesty  in  this  full  confession  that  did  more 
for  the  writer's  cause  than  subtler  language.  The  young 
Roman  had  been  severely  tried,  and  who  could  expect  from  a 
soldier  the  self-denial  that  it  might  have  been  hard  to  find 
under  the  brow  of  philosophy?  Stern  as  time  and  trial  had 
made  me,  I  was  not  petrified  into  a  contempt  for  the  generous 
weaknesses  of  earlier  years ;  and  to  love  a  being  like  Esther 
— what  was  it  but  to  be  just?  While  I  honored  the  high  sense 
of  duty  which  repelled  a  lover  so  dangerous  to  a  woman's 
heart,  I  pitied  and  forgave  the  violence  of  a  passion  lighted 
by  unrivaled  loveliness  of  form  and  mind. 

It  was  growing  late,  and  the  steward,  who  made  a  virtue  of 
showing  me  the  more  respect  the  more  I  was  treated  with 
severity,  came  in  to  arrange  my  couch  for  the  night ;  he  would 
suffer  no  inferior  hands  to  approach  the  person  of  one  of  the 
leaders  of  his  fallen  country. 

"In  truth,"  said  he,  "if  I  were  not  permitted  to  be  your 
attendant  to-night,  my  prince  might  have  been  forgotten,  for 
every  human  being  but  myself  is  busy  in  the  banquet-gallery." 

Sounds  of  instruments  and  voices  arose. 

"There,"  said  he,  "you  may  hear  the  music.    Titus  gives  a 

supper  in  honor  of  the  Emperor's  birthday,  and  the  palace  will 

be  kept  awake  until  daylight,  for  the  Romans,  with  all  their 

*        gravity,  are  great  lovers  of  the  table,  and  Titus  is  renowned 

for  late  sittings.    Would  you  wish  to  see  the  banquet?  " 

So  saying,  he  unbarred  the  shutters  of  a  casement,  com- 
manding a  view  along  the  gallery,  of  which  every  door  and 
window  was  thrown  open  for  the  breeze. 

If  an  ancient  Roman  could  start  from  his  slumber  into  the 
midst  of  European  life,  he  must  look  with  scorn  on  its  ab- 
sence of  grace,  elegance,  and  fancy.  But  it  is  in  its  festivities, 
and  most  of  all  in  its  banquets,  that  he  would  feel  the  incur- 
able barbarism  of  the  Gothic  blood.  Contrasted  with  the  fine 
displays  that  made  the  table  of  the  Roman  noble  a  picture 

478 


B  Stewar&'s  narrative 


and  threw  over  the  indulgence  of  appetite  the  colors  of  the  Saiatbtel  Wewa 
imagination,  with  what  eyes  must  he  contemplate  the  taste- 
less and  commonplace  dress,  the  coarse  attendants,  the  meager 
ornament,  the  want  of  mirth,  music,  and  intellectual  interest 
— the  whole  heavy  machinery  that  converts  the  feast  into  the 
mere  drudgery  of  devouring! 

The  guests  before  me  were  fifty  or  sixty  splendidly  attired 
men,  attended  by  a  crowd  of  domestics  equipped  with  scarcely 
less  splendor,  for  no  man  thought  of  coming  to  the  banquet  in 
the  robes  of  ordinary  life.  The  embroidered  couch,  itself  a 
striking  object,  allowed  the  ease  of  position,  at  once  delightful 
in  the  relaxing  climates  of  the  south  and  capable  of  combining 
with  every  grace  of  the  human  figure.  At  a  slight  distance 
the  table,  loaded  with  plate,  glittering  under  a  profusion  of 
lamps  and  surrounded  by  couches  covered  with  rich  draperies, 
was  like  a  central  source  of  light  radiating  in  broad  shafts  of 
every  brilliant  hue.  All  that  belonged  to  the  ornament  of  the 
board  was  superb.  The  wealth  of  the  patricians  and  their 
perpetual  intercourse  with  Greece  made  them  masters  of  the 
finest  performances  of  the  arts.  The  sums  expended  on  plate 
were  enormous,  but  its  taste  and  beaiity  were  essential  to  the 
refined  enjoyment  of  the  banquet.  Copies  of  the  most  famous 
statues  and  groups  of  sculpture  in  the  precious  metals,  ex- 
quisite trophies  of  Greek  and  Roman  victory,  models  of  the 
celebrated  temples,  mingled  with  vases  of  flowers  and  burning 
perfumes ;  and  covering  and  coloring  all  was  a  vast  scarlet 
canopy,  which  combined  the  groups  beneath  the  eye,  and 
threw  the  whole  scene  into  the  light  that  a  painter  would  love. 

But  yet  finer  skill  was  shown  in  the  constant  prevention  of 
that  want  of  topic  which  turns  conversation  into  weariness. 
There  was  a  rapid  succession  of  new  excitements.  Even  the 
common  changes  of  the  table  were  made  to  assist  this  pur- 
pose. The  entrance  of  each  course  was  announced  by  music, 
and  the  attendants  were  preceded  by  a  procession  of  minstrels, 
chaplet-crowned,  and  playing  Grecian  melodies.  Between  the 
courses  a  still  higher  entertainment  was  offered  in  the  recita- 
tions, dramas,  and  pleasantries,  read  or  acted  by  a  class  of 
professional  satirists,  of  the  absurdities  of  the  day. 

479 


Carrg  tlbou  £tll  f  Come 


TTbe  Bmusc*  It  is  easy  to  imagine  how  fertile  a  source  of  interest  this 
mCJFca8t  a  must  have  been  made  by  the  subtle  and  splenetic  Italian 
moving  through  Roman  life ;  the  most  various,  animating,  and 
fantastic  scene  in  which  society  ever  shone.  The  recitations 
were  always  looked  to  as  the  charm  of  the  feast.  They  were 
often  severe,  but  their  severity  was  reserved  for  public  men 
and  matters.  The  court  supplied  the  most  tempting  and  pop- 
ular ridicule,  but  the  reciter  was  a  privileged  person,  and  all 
the  better-humored  Caesars  bore  the  castigation  without  a 
murmur.  No'man  in  the  empire  was  more  laughed  at  than 
Vespasian,  and  no  man  oftener  joined  in  the  laugh. 

One  of  this  morning's  sports  was  to  collect  the  burlesques 
of  the  night  before,  give  them  new  pungency  by  a  touch  of 
the  imperial  pen,  and  then  despatch  them  to  make  their  way 
through  the  world.  The  strong-headed  sovereign  knew  the 
value  of  an  organ  of  public  opinion,  and  used  to  call  their 
perusal,  "  sitting  for  his  picture. "  The  picture  was  sometimes 
so  strong  that  the  courtiers  trembled.  But  the  veteran,  who 
had  borne  thirty  years  of  battle,  laid  it  up  among  "  his  por- 
traits," laughed  the  insult  away,  and  repeated  his  popular 
saying,  "  that  when  he  was  old  enough  to  come  to  years  of 
discretion  and  give  up  the  emperor,  he  should  become  reciter 
himself  and  have  his  turn  with  the  world." 

The  recitations  again  were  varied  by  a  sportive  lottery,  in 
which  the  guests  drew  prizes — sometimes  of  value,  gems  and 
plate — sometimes  merely  an  epigram,  or  a  caricature.  The 
banquet  generally  closed  with  a  theatric  dance  by  the  chief 
public  performers  of  the  day,  and  the  finest  forms  and  the 
most  delicate  art  of  Greece  and  Ionia  displayed  the  story  of 
Theseus  and  Ariadne,  the  flight  of  Jason,  the  fate  of  Semele, 
or  some  other  of  their  brilliant  fictions.  In  the  presence  of 
this  vivid  display  sat,  tempering  its  sportiveness  by  the  maj- 
esty of  religion,  the  three  great  tutelar  idols  of  Rome — Jove, 
Juno,  and  Minerva,  of  colossal  height,  throned  at  the  head  of 
the  hall ;  completing,  false  as  they  were,  the  most  singular 
and  dazzling  combination  that  man  ever  saw,  of  the  delight  of 
the  senses  with  the  delight  of  the  mind. 

To  me  human  delight  was  always  a  source  of  enjoyment, 

480 


Steward's  TRarrative 


and  in  the  sounds  of  the  harps  and  flutes  and  the  pleasant  Ubc  Stewart 
murmur  of  cheerful  voices  I  was  not  unwilling  to  forget  the 
spot  from  which  I  listened.    But  the  prisoner  can  not  long  for- 
get his  cell,  and  closing  the  casement  I  walked  away. 

"Little  I  ever  thought,"  sighed  the  old  steward,  "of  seeing 
that  sight.  But  all  nations  have  fallen  in  their  time,  and  per- 
haps the  only  wonder  is  that  Israel  should  have  stood  so  long. 
It  is  still  stranger  to  my  eyes  to  see  that  gallery  as  it  is  to- 
night. It  is  fifteen  years  this  very  day  since  I  saw  the  light 
of  lamp  or  the  foot  of  man  within  those  casements." 

"  Yet,"  said  I,  "  the  great  Ananus  lived  as  became  his  rank, 
and  there  were  then  no  dangers  to  disturb  him  in  the  midst  of 
his  people." 

"But  there  was  one  terrible  event  which  made  those  walls 
unhallowed ;  nay,  even  in  this  spot  I  would  not  remain  alone 
through  the  night  to  have  the  palace  for  my  own." 

A  rich  strain  of  music  that  ushered  in  some  change  in  the 
displays  of  the  banquet  interrupted  my  question,  while  the 
old  man's  countenance  assumed  something  of  the  alarm  which 
he  described. 

"That  sound,"  said  he,  shuddering,  "goes  to  my  heart.  It 
is  the  same  that  I  heard  on  the  night  of  death.  On  that  night 
Matthan,  the  only  son  of  my  great  master,  was  to  be  wedded 
to  the  daughter  of  the  prince  of  Hebron,  and  that  gallery  was 
laid  out  for  the  wedding-feast.  All  the  leaders  of  Jerusalem 
were  there,  all  the  noble  women,  all  the  chief  priesthood ;  all 
the  grandeur,  wealth,  and  beauty  of  our  tribe.  But  Matthan 
was  not  the  son  of  his  father's  mind.  He  had  fled  from  his 
father's  roof  years  before,  and  taken  refuge  in  the  mountains. 
The  caravan  passing  through  Galilee  dreaded  the  name  of 
Matthan,  for  he  was  bold ;  the  chief  of  the  hills  saw  his  fol- 
lowers flying  from  his  side,  for  deadly  was  the  spear  of  Mat- 
than ;  but  he  was  generous,  and  often  the  slave  rejoiced  in  the 
breaking  of  his  chains,  and  the  peasant  saw  his  flocks  cover 
the  valley  again  by  the  arm  -and  the  bounty  of  Matthan.  • 

"  I  saw  him  on  the  day  when  he  returned ;  danger  or  sor- 
row had  wrought  a  change  in  him  like  the  passing  from  youth 
to  age.  His  strength  was  gone,  and  his  voice  was  broken,  like 

31  481 


£bou  £tll  1  Come 


B  Countenance  the  voice  of  him  that  treads  on  the  brink  of  the  timely  grave. 
TOO  a  His  noble  father  wept  over  him,  but  gave  him  welcome;  and 
the  palace  was  rilled  with  rejoicing  for  the  coming  back  of  the 
first-born .  Yet  he  took  no  delight  in  the  feast,  neither  in  the 
praises  of  men  nor  in  the  voice  of  the  singer.  He  wandered 
through  his  father's  halls,  even  as  the  leopard,  chained  and 
longing  to  escape  to  the  desert  and  the  prey  again.  Disturb- 
ances were  beginning  to  be  heard  in  Jerusalem,  and  he  fell 
into  the  hands  of  the  evil  one.  Onias,  the  man  of  blood,  be- 
trayed him  into  the  secret  ways  of  conspiracy  against  our 
conquerors.  His  heart  was  bold  and  his  temper  high,  and  he 
was  easily  drawn  into  the  desperate  game  by  a  villain  who 
stirred  up  the  generous  spirit  of  our  nobles,  only  to  sell  their 
blood  to  Rome. 

"He  grew  more  lonely  day  by  day;  withdrew  from  the 
amusements  of  his  rank,  and  shut  himself  up  in  the  wing  of 
the  palace,  ending  in  this  tower.  In  this  room  I  have  seen  his 
lamp  burning  through  the  livelong  winter  nights,  and  grieved 
over  the  sleeplessness  that  showed  he  was  among  the  unhappy. 

"  At  last  a  change  was  wrought  upon  him.  He  went  forth ; 
he  took  delight  in  the  horse  and  the  chariot,  in  the  chase, 
and  the  feast,  and  the  die.  His  father,  that  he  might  bless 
his  posterity  before  he  died,  counseled  him  to  take  to  wife 
Thamar,  the  noblest  of  the  daughters  of  Hebron.  The  day  of 
the  marriage  was  appointed.  On  that  day  I  saw  him  come 
from  the  council-hall,  after  receiving  the  congratulations  of 
his  friends.  I  saw  him  passing  along  to  his  chamber,  but  I 
dared  not  cross  him  on  his  way.  He  thought  that  he  was 
alone,  and  then  he  gave  way  to  his  agony.  Never  did  I  be- 
hold such  a  countenance  of  -wrath  and  wo.  It  was  bloated 
with  prodigal  living,  and  it  was  now  flushed  with  wine.  He 
raved,  he  rent  his  bridal  raiment  and  cast  it  from  him ;  he 
wept ;  he  knelt  and  cursed  the  hour  he  was  born.  I  remained 
in  my  refuge,  yet  more  in  fear  of  his  countenance  than  of  his 
sword.  He  took  letters  from  his  bosom,  read  them,  and  then 
scattered  their  fragments  in  the  air.  He  tottered  toward  me, 
and  I  dreaded  his  rage,  but  I  saw  at  a  glance  that  his  mind 
was  gone.  He  was  talking  to  the  air;  he  clasped  his  hands 

482 


B  StewarD'6  "Narrative 


wildly ;   his    face  was    covered  with  tears ;    he  implored  for  Ube  Strange* 
meray,  and  fell.     I  hastened  to  bear  him  to  a  couch ;  he  saw 
me  not,  but  cried  out  against  himself  as  a  betrayer  and  a  mur- 
derer, the  fugitive  from  honor,  the  criminal  marked  by  the 
hand  of  Heaven. 

"  I  called  for  help.  His  mountaineers  rushed  in;  they  re- 
pulsed me ;  and  chiding  him  in  their  barbarian  tongue,  and 
seeming  accustomed  to  those  fits  of  sorrow,  carried  away  in 
their  arms  the  noble  Matthan,  crying  like  a  child. 

"The  evening  fell,  and  I  saw  him  ride  forth  at  the  head  of 
his  kindred  to  bring  home  the  bride.  The  wretchedness  of  the 
day  had  passed,  and  those  who  looked  only  on  the  lofty  bear- 
ing and  heard  the  joyous  language  of  the  leader  of  that  train 
would  have  thought  that  sorrow  had  never  touched  his  heart. 
I  watched  for  his  return  with  anxiety,  for  I  deemed  him  un- 
hallowed. • 

"  But  all  was  well ;  the  bridal  train  returned.  Matthan, 
glittering  in  jewels,  came  proudly,  reining  a  steed  white  as 
the  snow.  The  harp  and  trumpet,  the  chorus  of  the  singers, 
the  light  of  the  torches,  and  the  glitter  of  the  youths  and 
maidens  who  danced  before  the  bride  made  me  forget  every- 
thing but  the  joy  of  seeing  peace  among  us  once  more.  But 
at  the  banquet  the  wonder  of  all  was  the  bridegroom  himself. 
Loud  as  the  guests'  voices  were,  his  voice  was  the  loudest; 
he  laughed  at  everything,  as  if  he  had  never  known  a  care  in 
the  world,  or  was  never  to  know  one  again.  The  jest  was 
never  out  of  his  lips ;  and  when  he  pledged  the  cup  to  the 
health  of  the  company  or  the  fair  bride — and  often  he  pledged 
it  that  evening — he  always  said  something  that  raised  shouts 
of  applause.  I  once  or  twice  passed  near  him,  but  he  had 
wiped  every  sign  of  grief  from  his  features,  and  if  he  seemed 
to  be  mad  with  anything,  it  was  with  joy.  The  gallery  rang 
with  admiration,  and  not  less  with  surprise,  for  he  had  shut 
himself  up  so  long  from  the  people  that  he  was  almost  un- 
known, and  the  world  is  generally  good-natured  enough  to  in- 
vent a  character  for  those  who  will  take  no  trouble  to  make 
one  for  themselves.  Some  had  set  him  down  for  intolerable 
haughtiness ;  others  for  fear  of  mixing  in  the  growing  tumults } 

483 


Ebou  GUI  H  Come 


e  coming  of  others  for  a  dealer  in  the  black  arts,  and  still  others  for  a 
mere  fool.  But  now  opinions  were  altered,  and  every  voice  of 
his  tribe  was  loud  in  wonder  at  the  talents  he  had  so  long  hid 
in  retirement. 

"  I  was  standing  in  the  train  of  the  High  Priest,  near  the 
central  casement,  through  which  you  may  now  see  the  throne 
of  Titus.  My  eyes,  I  know  not  why,  strayed  to  this  tower ;  I 
marked  a  feeble  lamp,  a  form  rushing  backward  and  forward 
in  gestures  of  violent  sorrow.  A  foot  beside  me  made  me  turn. 
There  stood  Matthan  with  his  eyes  fixed  upon  the  tower.  Hut 
his  mind  was  gone.  He  looked  like  a  man  stricken  into  stone. 
He  saw  me  not ;  he  saw  not  the  guests ;  he  saw  nothing  but 
the  feeble  lamp,  the  hurrying  form. 

"The  chorus  of  the  singing  women  announced  that  the 
bride  was  about  to  come.  I  looked  up  at  the  tower;  the  lamp 
v/as  twinkling  its  last,  and  the  form  was  still  seen  wringing 
its  hands.  The  hymn  began  that  denotes  the  veiling  of  the 
bride ;  but  my  eyes  were  fixed  on  the  dying  light  and  the 
form,  which  now  held  a  cup  in  its  hand.  A  shriek  was  heard, 
so  wild  that  the  guests  sprang  from  their  seats  in  alarm  and 
astonishment.  My  eye  turned  upon  Matthan,  but  he  had 
summoned  up  his  strength,  and  tho  I  saw  him  shake  in  every 
limb,  his  proud  lip  wore  a  smile. 

"  Clasping  his  hand  upon  his  brow,  he  abruptly  turned  from 
the  window  and  demanded  why  the  bridal  attendants  delayed 
the  coming  of  the  princess  of  Hebron.  The  lamp  had  now 
disappeared,  and  the  tower  was  in  darkness  again.  The  por- 
tals were  at  length  thrown  open  and  the  bride  was  led  up  to 
the  canopy  beneath  which  the  bridegroom  stood.  He  raised 
the  veil.  His  countenance  was  instantly  transformed  into 
horror.  He  uttered  no  cry,  but  stood  gazing.  The  bride  let 
fall  the  veil  again,  and  taking  his  hand,  led  him  slowly  and 
without  a  word  down  the  hall. 

"None  checked  this  strange  ceremony;  none  dared  to  check 
it.  We  were  deprived  of  all  power  by  astonishment.  The 
High  Priest  himself  stood  with  his  venerable  hands  lifted  up 
to  heaven,  as  if  he  felt  that  evil  was  come  upon  his  house. 
The  wedded  pair  walked  in  silence  through  the  long  range  of 

484 


Stewards  "Narrative 


chambers  to  the  tower,  and  as  they  passed,  the  numberless  at-  flDattban'0 
tendants  felt  themselves  bound  by  mysterious  awe.  But  our 
senses  at  length  returned,  and  Ananus,  in  the  full  dread  of 
misfortune,  yet  bold  to  his  dying  hour,  suffered  none  to  go 
before  him.  We  found  the  door  of  the  tower  barred,  and  long 
summoned  Matthan  to  come  forth  and  relieve  our  fears  lest 
some  desperate  invention  of  sorcery  had  been  played  upon 
him.  No  answer  was  returned,  and  we  forced  the  door. 

"  What  a  sight  was  there !  Two  corpses  lay  side  by  side. 
The  blood  still  trickled  from  the  bosom  of  the  unfortunate 
Matthan.  I  raised  the  veil  of  the  bride;  the  hue  of  poison 
was  upon  the  lips,  but  they  were  not  the  lips  of  the  princess 
of  Hebron.  The  countenance  was  Arabian,  and  of  exceeding 
beauty,  but  wan  and  wasted  by  sorrow." 

"  Who,  then,  was  his  strange  companion  in  the  hall?  "  I 
asked. 

The  answer  was  given  with  a  shudder.  "  I  know  not,  but  it 
seemed  scarcely  a  being  of  this  world.  A  new  confusion 
arose.  The  mountaineers,  on  hearing  of  the  death  of  their 
lord  and  still  more  of  that  noble  creature  in  whom  they  hon- 
ored the  race  of  their  chieftains,  demanded  vengeance :  they 
were  too  fierce  to  listen  to  reason,  and  our  attempts  to  ex- 
plain the  unhappy  truth  only  kindled  their  rage.  Simitars 
were  drawn,  blood  was  shed,  and  tho  the  barbarians  were 
repelled,  yet  they  plundered  the  wing  of  the  palace  and  bore 
off  the  infant  offspring  of  their  dead  mistress,  the  last  scion 
of  an  illustrious  tree  that  was  itself  so  soon  to  feel  the  ax. 

"  I  saw  the  unfortunate  and  guilty  Matthan  laid  in  the  sep- 
ulcher  of  his  fathers  —the  last  that  ever  slept  there,  for  his 
great  sire,  worthy  of  being  laid  in  the  monument  of  kings, 
was  denied  the  honors  of  the  grave  by  his  murderers.  Yet 
he  sleeps  in  the  noblest  of  all  graves ;  his  memory  is  treasured 
in  the  love  and  sorrows  of  his  country. 

"  It  was  discovered  that  Matthan,  during  his  wanderings  in 
the  desert,  had  wedded  the  daughter  of  a  sheik.  He  loved 
her  with  the  violence  of  his  nature,  but  the  prospects  which 
opened  to  hjm  on  his  return  to  his  country  made  him  shrink 
from  the  acknowledgment  of  his  Arabian  bride.  Yet  to  live 

485 


Sbou  GUI  fl  Come 


bc  Brabfan  without  her  he  found  impossible,  and  he  brought  her  to  the 
tower.  Surrounded  by  his  mountaineers,  this  portion  of  the 
palace  was  inaccessible.  His  solitude  and  the  lights  seen 
through  the  casements  were  often  thought  to  imply  studies  of 
the  strange  philosophy  or  evil  superstitions  that  had  begun  to 
infect  the  noble  youth  of  Palestine. 

"  But  the  necessity  of  sustaining  his  ambition  by  an  illus- 
trious marriage  drove  his  fickle  heart  at  last  to  treachery.  The 
Arabian  knew  the  intended  marriage,  and  pined  away  before 
his  eyes.  Remorse  and  ambition  alternately  distracted  him. 
The  bridal  procession  was  seen  by  the  unhappy  wife,  and  she 
swallowed  poison.  The  rest  is  beyond  my  power  to  account 
for.  But  it  is  rumored  among  the  attendants  that  strange 
sights  have  since  been  seen  and  sounds  of  a  bridal  throng 
heard  in  the  chambers  through  which  their  last  melancholy 
procession  was  made ;  tho,  whether  it  be  truth  or  the  com- 
mon fear  of  the  peasantry,  I  know  not,  nor  indeed  wish  too 
curiously  to  inquire." 


486 


CHAPTER  LXII 

A  Prisoner  in  the  Tower 

As  the  old  man  spoke,  sounds  arose  not  unsuited  to  his  Confuaion 
tale.  But  my  faith  in  the  legend  did  not  amount  to  so  sudden  at 
a  realization,  and  I  looked  toward  the  banquet.  There,  from 
whatever  motive,  everything  was  in  sudden  disturbance.  The 
guests  were  hurrying  from  the  tables.  Many  had  thrown  the 
military  cloak  over  their  festal  robes ;  some  were  in  the  ad- 
joining apartments  hastily  equipping  themselves  with  arms 
and  armor.  A  group  was  standing  round  Titus,  evidently  in 
anxious  consultation.  In  the  spacious  grounds  below,  horse- 
men were  mounting  and  attendants  hurrying  in  all  directions. 
The  calls  of  the  clarion  echoed  through  the  courts;  shortly 
after  a  large  body  of  cavalry  came  wheeling  round  to  the 
portal  of  the  gardens,  and  Titus  went  forth,  conspicuous 
among  the  bustling  crowd  for  his  manly  composure.  He  gave 
some  orders  which  were  despatched  by  tribunes  galloping  as 
for  their  lives ;  then  mounting  his  charger,  rode  slowly  through 
the  gates  at  the  head  of  his  stately  company,  himself  the  most 
stately  of  them  all. 

The  woods  surrounding  the  palace  soon  intercepted  the 
view  of  the  imperial  troop ;  and  after  straining  my  eyes  as 
long  as  I  could  see  the  glitter  of  a  helmet  by  the  waning 
moon,  I  turned  to  my  casement  to  make  that  prayer  for  the 
peace  of  Jerusalem  which  had  been  nightly  on  my  lips  from 
the  hour  when  they  first  could  pronounce  the  name.  From 
the  dungeon  has  that  supplication  risen ;  from  the  mine ;  from 
the  sands  of  the  wilderness ;  from  the  shores  of  the  farthest 
ocean ;  from  the  bosom  of  the  rolling  waters ;  from  the  fires 
of  the  persecutor ;  from  the  field  before  the  battle ;  from  the 
field  covered  with  its  dead;  from  the  living  grave  of  the 

487 


abou  Sill  f  Come 


Ube  tRct>      monk ;  from  the  cavern  of  the  robber ;  from  the  palace ;  even 
Illumination    ,,  .,  «.  i  5  , 

from  the  scaffold ! 

While  I  continued  in  this  outpouring  of  the  soul,  with  my 
eyes  fixed  on  the  cloudy  world  above,  a  pale  reflection  spread 
over  the  masses  of  rolling  vapor;  it  lingered,  faded,  and  night 
covered  the  earth ;  suddenly  a  fierce  luster  turned  the  low  and 
heavy  clouds  into  the  color  of  conflagration. 

"There  is  an  attack  on  either  the  enemy's  camp  or  the 
city,"  I  exclaimed  to  my  companion.  "  Daybreak  it  can  not  be, 
for  the  middle  watch  has  not  been  half  an  hour  sounded.  Help 
me  to  escape;  be  but  my  guide  through  the  chambers,  and 
name  your  recompense." 

The  steward  wrung  his  helpless  hands,  and  offered  his  life 
to  my  service,  but  described  the  precautions  of  my  jailers  so 
fully  that  I  gave  up  the  idea.  Still  I  was  tossed  by  anxious 
thoughts.  I  heard  the  treading  of  the  guard  until  its  recur- 
rence irritated  me.  The  meanings  of  the  wind  through  the 
trees  told  that  a  storm  was  rising,  and  to  get  rid  of  the  un- 
easy conflict  between  the  desire  of  sleep  and  the  difficulty  of 
shutting  out  thought,  I  rose  and  watched  the  progress  of  the 
tempest. 

The  lightnings  flashed  in  broad  beams  through  the  clouds, 
and  the  rain  fell  with  the  violence  of  the  southern  storm. 
But  through  the  flash,  deepening  again,  shone  the  red  illumi- 
nation above  the  city,  and  neither  the  roar  of  the  wind  nor  the 
dash  of  the  descending  deluge  could  extinguish  the  shouts 
that,  remote  as  they  were,  I  knew  to  be  shouts  of  battle.  1 
measured  the  tower  with  my  eye ;  I  tried  the  strength  of  the 
bars ;  but  the  attempt  only  served  to  disturb  my  companion, 
who  had  survived  his  sorrows  long  enough  to  sleep  as  soundly 
as  if  there  were  not  a  wo  on  earth. 

"I  am  glad,"  said  he,  "that  you  awoke  me,  for  I  was 
dreaming  the  story  of  my  unfortunate  lord  and  his  son  over 
again." 

"  The  natural  result  of  your  having  so  lately  renewed  its 
recollection." 

"  Aye,  there  is  perhaps  scarcely  a  room  under  the  palace 
roof  where  some  heart  is  not  trembling  to-night  with  ghostly 


Titus  rode  at  the  head  of  his  stately  company,  himself  the  most 
stately  of  them  all." 

[see  fag-'  4&7 


arrg  Sbou  Hill  I  Come 


moi  a  of  the  robl. 

frou, 

•iitpouriii 
eyes  fixed  on 
over  the 
covered  t 
heavy  clouds 

"There 
city,"  I  . 
for  the  middi' 
me  to  es 
uame  your  j  - 

The  steward  wnm._;  liis  1 
to  my  servio 
fully  that  I  : 

thoughts.     I  iding  of  the  -::ard  until  il 

react!  in  1  thrc 

t"-*fc&. 

.  •;.  (.  •        f  •  "M  iV5ftfi^dthe  sAiftj 

' 
• 

r»U!    ihl'ui]  ^h 

nation  above  the  c 
u.i.sh  ..f  the  dusci'iidi; 
lint.  i»"ihit<>  as  tli. 
!,!.•;;•  un  u  :  he  to\v< 
iiav-  ;     hut     Ihr  at' 

win.  I;.*.]  survived  his  long 

as  if  thd-H  were  not  a 
"I  .nii   urlad,"  sain 
dri'annu-4  the  story  of  my 

«'  itufiual   result  of  your  having  so  1 

•.  then;    ;s    |>« 

<-  son  -  h.-ai-f  ^  not  trembling 

488 


Copyright,  1901,  by  Funk  A  Wagnalls  Company,  N.  Y.  and  London 


prisoner  fn  tbc  {Tower 


fear,  nor  a  peasant's  thatch  where  the  death  of  Matthan  and    H  figure  in 
the  Arabian  has  not  made  pale  faces ;  and  where  men  tell  of 

the  bridegroom  stricken  in  his  hour  of  pride.     But powers 

of  Heaven  preserve  us !  look  there !  " 

I  looked,  but  it  was  to  the  old  man,  whose  countenance 
alarmed  me  with  the  idea  that  he  had  wrought  his  imagina- 
tion to  a  hazardous  extreme.  I  took  his  cold  hand,  and  tell- 
ing him  that  I  felt  unable  to  sleep,  gently  laid  his  stiffened 
limbs  on  the  couch  and  bade  him  try  to  rest.  But  his  eye 
stared  through  the  casement  till  I  followed  its  direction,  yet 
with  only  the  added  belief  that  he  was  overcome  by  the  com- 
mon terrors  of  the  household ;  for  to  me  tenfold  darkness  lay 
upon  every  object  from  the  ground  to  the  battlements. 

I  accidentally  glanced  at  the  gallery,  and  there  I  saw  a 
figure,  slight  and  shadowy,  passing  backward  and  forward  in 
front  of  a  quivering  lamp!  My  surprise  was  more  startling 
than  I  would  venture  to  communicate  to  my  companion,  al- 
ready almost  paralyzed  with  fear.  But  if  I  had  conjured  up  a 
phantom  to  give  force  to  the  tale,  none  could  have  been  more 
closely  similar.  The  figure  was  enveloped  in  robes  whose 
richness  I  could  perceive  even  across  the  court;  the  gestures, 
the  wild  hurry  of  the  pacings  through  the  chamber,  the  gen- 
eral air  of  wo  and  distraction,  were  not  to  be  mistaken.  In 
the  midst  of  the  silence  I  heard  the  creaking  of  bolts  and  the 
fall  of  chains  that  seemed  to  be  at  my  side.  A  single  word 
followed,  but  that  word  was  terribly  comprehensive — "  Death !" 
The  sound  was  uttered  in  a  sepulchral  tone,  that  left  the  imagi- 
nation free  to  shape  the  picture  with  what  sullenness  it  willed ! 

But  the  sound  was  scarcely  uttered  when  I  heard  a  shriek, 
wild  as  ever  told  of  wo ;  saw  the  figure  sink  down,  and  the 
lamp  quiver  and  expire !  The  old  man  had  seen  what  I  had 
seen,  but  the  natural  feebleness  of  age  left  him.  a  mere  help- 
less prey  to  superstitious  fear,  and  no  attempt  to  explain 
these  singular  coincidences  could  calm  him.  He  was  con- 
vinced that  the  vengeance  that  had  stricken  his  master's  house 
was  still  abroad,  and  that  he  had  beheld  its  minister.  Re- 
monstrance was  in  vain,  and  he  sank  alternately  into  reveries 
and  the  stupefaction  of  spiritual  terror. 

489 


tTbou  GUI  I  Come 


•Raomt.tbe  I  tended  him  with  the  more  interest  from  my  being  not 
altogether  unimpressed  with  the  possibility  that  his  alarms 
were  just.  I  was  no  believer  in  the  vulgar  narratives  of 
superstition.  But  nature  has  her  mysteries! 

While  I  sat  beside  the  couch  and  watched  the  ebb  and  flow 
of  life  in  a  frame  that  I  sometimes  expected  to  see  utterly 
give  way,  a  jarring  of  bolts  again  struck  my  ear.  I  listened 
with  a  strange  emotion.  The  old  man  had  heard  it,  and  in  a 
new  convulsion  grasped  both  my  hands  and  held  me  close. 
The  sound  returned ;  it  increased ;  I  saw  the  wall  of  the 
tower  open  and  the  figure  stand  before  me. 

"  It  is  she ;  it  is  she !  "  shudderingly  murmured  my  com- 
panion, fixing  his  eyes  on  it  and  holding  me  with  the  clasp  of 
agony. 

The  heart  beat  loud  within  me ;  but  I  interposed  myself  be- 
tween the  corpse-like  being  whom  I  held  in  my  arms  and  the 
unearthly  visitant,  and  demanded  "  for  what  purpose  it  had 
come."  The  figure  started  as  I  spoke;  then  gazing  intently 
on  me  as  I  turned  to  the  light,  threw  the  mantle  from  its  fore- 
head and  fell  at  my  feet.  The  lovely  Naomi  was  the  specter ! 
Yet  perfectly  guiltless  of  the  ghostly  potency  of  her  pres- 
ence and  the  unfilial  alarm  into  which  she  had  thrown  her 
adopted  father,  whom  she  was  delighted  to  find,  but  whom 
she  candidly  acknowledged  "she  never  dreamed  of  finding 
there." 

"The  tower  contains  a  prisoner,"  said  she  tremblingly, 
"  who  must  be  saved  this  night,  for  to-morrow  at  daybreak  is 
his  dreadful  hour.  I  knew  that  he  would  be  condemned,  and 
we  agreed  on  a  signal,  by  which  I  was  to  learn  when  the  time 
was  fixed.  I  have  watched  all  night  for  it,  and  almost  be- 
trayed myself  by  a  cry  of  horror  that  I  could  not  suppress  at 
the  sight  of  that  signal  just  now.  I  had  no  resource  but  to 
bear  my  own  message,  and  assist  him  myself  in  escaping  from 
this  place  of  sorrow." 

"  But,  my  child,  who  is  the  prisoner,  or  where  is  he?  " 

She  blushed  and  said :  "  One  who  saved  me  when  the  world 
was  against  me.  He  rescued  me  from  the  hands  of  barbarians 
—and  could  I  leave  him  to  perish?  " 

490 


B  prisoner  in  tbe  bovver 


"Lead  on  then,  and  without  delay,  for  daybreak  is  not  far.  Saiatbfel  fint>s 
But  how  shall  we  find  our  way  to  his  dungeon?  " 

"  I  paid  high, "  said  she,  "  for  niy  knowledge  of  this  tower, 
and  it  has  no  concealments  from  me.  Kemove  this  bar." 

I  drew  out  a  slender  iron  rod ;  a  door  deep  in  the  wall  gave 
way  and  disclosed  a  winding  stair,  by  which  we  descended. 
We  found  the  prisoner  writing,  and  so  earnestly  occupied  that 
our  footsteps  did  not  interrupt  him. 

"  There,"  soliloquized  he  as  he  ran  his  eye  down  the  epistle. 
"  I  think,  my  masters  if  not  the  better,  some  of  you  will  be 
the  wiser  for  my  labors.  Home  truths  are  the  truths,  after 
all.  Titus  will  learn  what  a  set  of  incurable  reprobates  he 
has  about  him,  and  by  this  time  to-morrow,  when  I  shall  care 
as  little  for  mankind  as  mankind  ever  cared  for  me,  I  shall 
do  the  state  service ;  from  my  gibbet  turn  reformer  and  make 
the  scaffold  popular.  And  now,  for  the  farewell  to  my  lady 
and  my  love." 

He  sighed  and  threw  down  the  pen. 

"  No,  my  Naomi,  I  can  say  nothing  half  so  fond  or  half  so 
bitter  as  my  feelings  would  have  me  say  at  this  moment. 
Would  that  I  had  never  seen  you,  if  we  are  to  part  so  soon. 
Yet  why  should  I  regret  to  have  known  innocence  and  beauty 
in  their  perfection?  No,  my  love,  rosy  was  the  hour  when  I 
first  saw  you,  and  proud  is  even  the  parting  hour  that  tells  me 
I  could  have  loved  so  noble  a  being — but  all  is  better  as  it  is. 
How  could  I  have  borne  to  see  you  following  the  fortunes  of 
a  wanderer,  of  a  man  without  a  country  or  a  name?  Then 
farewell,  my  Naomi  dearest,  farewell ;  you  were  the  gleam  of 
sunshine  in  my  cloudy  day,  the  star  in  my  dreary  night,  and 
while  my  heart  beats  you  shall  be  there.  Your  name  shall  be 
the  last  upon  my  lips,  and  if  there  be  thought  beyond  the 
grave,  you  shall  be  remembered,  and — oh,  how  deeply — 
loved!" 

I  had  been  on  the  point  of  disturbing  his  meditation,  but 
Naomi,  with  the  fine  avarice  of  passion,  would  not  lose  a  syl- 
lable. She  held  me  back,  and  implored  me  by  her  countenance 
to  let  her  have  the  full  confession  of  her  lover's  faith.  That 
beautiful  countenance  ran  through  all  the  shades  of  feeling, 

491 


Cbou  GUI  1  Come 


Ube  and  was  covered  with  blushes  and  tears  while  the  unconscious 
worshiper  poured  out  his  devotion.  But  the  time  was  flying ;  I 
insisted  on  interrupting  this  epicureanism  of  the  soul ;  and  when 
Naomi  found  that  she  must  hear  no  more,  she  would  allow 
none  but  herself  the  pleasure  of  the  surprise.  A  sigh  which 
swelled  from  the  prisoner's  heart  was  echoed.  He  turned 
suddenly,  and  pronounced  her  name  with  a  loudness  of  delight 
that  nothing  but  the  chance  that  protects  the  imprudent  could 
have  prevented  from  bringing  the  guard  upon  us.  His  quick 
eye  soon  caught  me  where  I  stood  in  shadow,  and  he  sprang 
forward  to  overpower  the  intruder.  But  the  lamp  saved  us 
from  the  encounter,  and  lifting  his  hands  and  eyes  in  amaze- 
ment, he  laughed  as  loudly  as  he  had  spoken. 

"In  the  name  of  all  the  wonders  of  the  world,"  exclaimed 
he,  "are  you  here  too?  Where  are  we  to  meet  next?  We 
have  met  already  in  water,  fire,  and  earth,  and  nothing  is  left 
for  us  now  but  the  clouds.  Come,  be  honest,  prince,  and  tell 
me  whether  it  was  not  for  the  sake  of  some  such  experiment 
that  you  ventured  here ;  for  if  another  hour  finds  us  within 
these  four  walls,  we  shall  know  the  grand  secret  as  assuredly 
as  Titus  wears  a  head  and  has  a  traitor  at  his  elbow." 

It  was  the  Arab  captain!  I  was  rejoiced  to  find  that  in  at- 
tempting to  save  the  life  of  Naomi's  lover,  I  was  discharging 
a  debt  to  the  preserver  of  my  own.  To  my  mention  of  this 
service  he  replied  with  soldierlike  frankness  that  "I  owed 
him  no  obligation  whatever ;  he  had  long  hated  the  intoler- 
able cruelty  of  Cestius,  and  the  debt  was  on  his  side,  as  I  had 
indulged  him  with  an  opportunity  that  every  officer  in  the 
service  would  have  been  happy  to  use. " 

Naomi  hung  upon  me,  pale,  and  anxiously  listening  to  every 
sound  abroad. 

"This  little  trembler,"  said  he  sportively,  as  he  took  her 
passive  hand,  "  I  am  destined  to  meet  always  in  alarm.  I  first 
found  her  flying  from  a  troop  of  human  brutes  who  were  rob- 
bing the  baggage  of  the  Roman  camp ;  I  thought  her  worth 
something  better  than  to  keep  goats  on  the  Libanus  and  weave 
turbans  for  some  Syrian  deserter ;  she  was  of  the  same  opin- 
ion, and  fell  in  love  with  me  on  the  spot." 

492 


prisoner  fit  tbe 


Naomi  exclaimed  against  this  version  of  the  story.  attempts  to 

"No  matter  for  the  mode,"  said  he;  "I  give  the  facts.  I 
dazzled  her  ambition  by  the  promise  of  a  palace — in  the  air ; 
bribed  her  avarice  by  the  display  of  a  purse  unconscious  of 
gold ;  and  bewitched  her  senses  by  a  speech,  a  smile,  and  a 
figure  that  for  the  first  time  in  my  life  I  found  to  be  irre- 
sistible." 

Naomi  again  protested,  and  the  dialog  might  have  con- 
sumed half  the  night  without  their  discovering  the  lapse  of 
time,  had  I  not  interposed  and  inquired  what  further  means  of 
escape  were  in  our  power.  The  lovely  girl  started  from  her 
waking  dream  and  pointed  to  a  ring  in  the  wall.  I  tried  itt 
but  it  resisted  my  force.  At  length  we  all  strove  at  it  to- 
gether. But  no  door  opened.  Naomi  wrung  her  hands. 

"The  unfortunate  lord  of  this  tower  in  former  times,"  said 
she,  and  the  tears  stood  in  her  eyes,  "  always  predicted  that  it 
would  be  fatal  to  his  family  To  escape  his  own  fate,  he 
pierced  its  walls  with  passages  in  every  direction,  but  they 
did  not  save  my  noble,  my  unfortunate  father." 

She  sat  down  weeping  while  I  tore  at  the  ring,  which  finally 
broke  off  in  my  hands.  The  lover  stood  with  folded  arms, 
gazing  in  sad  delight  on  the  beautiful  being  from  whom  he 
was  so  soon  to  part  forever,  and  whose  face  and  form  wore 
almost  the  shadowy  loveliness  of  a  vision. 

The  chance  of  their  escape  now  devolved  on  me  solely,  for 
neither  would  have  desired  to  disturb  that  strange  and  melan- 
choly luxury  of  contemplation.  But  as  the  concealed  door 
must  be  given  up,  the  only  resource  was  to  return  to  my  cell 
and  thence  make  our  way  through  the  passage  by  which 
Naomi  had  arrived.  A  glance  from  the  casement  showed 
me  the  court  filled  with  soldiery  and  lights  moving  through 
the  palace.  This  hope  was  gone ! 

In  the  deepest  doubt  and  fear  I  ventured  up  through  the 
tower  to  discover  whether  my  cell  was  not  already  in  posses- 
sion of  the  guard.  I  pushed  back  the  door  noiselessly ;  the 
cell  was  empty ;  even  the  old  steward  was  gone.  Imagination 
is  a  dangerous  auxiliary  in  such  a  crisis,  and  it  created  out  of 
this  trivial  change  a  host  of  alarms.  He  must  have  fled  to 

493 


Cbou  GUI  I  Come 


Saiatbici  s>(9»  give  notice  of  my  retreat,  or  ta  rouse  the  vigilance  of  the  sol- 
diery by  the  stories  of  the  wonders  that  he  had  seen.  Escape 
was  hopeless.  I  even  heard  a  confused  whispering,  which 
proved  that  we  had  fallen  into  the  snare. 

There  was  now  no  alternative  but  to  be  seized  and  die,  or  to 
make  a  bold  rush  for  life  and  take  our  chances.  I  carried 
the  fainting  Naomi  up  the  stairs;  and  suppressing  the  infinite 
risk  of  the  attempt  to  penetrate  through  a  building  in  which 
its  inmates  were  still  awake  and  busy,  and  which  was  guarded 
by  the  vigilance  of  Roman  patrols,  I  advised  that  we  should 
do  anything  rather  than  remain  where  we  were.  She  was 
timid  and  submissive;  but  to  my  surprise  the  bold  seaman, 
the  haughty  leader  of  men,  harder  to  be  ruled  than  the  ele- 
ments, the  gallant  despiser  of  death  but  a  day  past,  was  now 
totally  unnerved.  The  novelty  of  passion  absorbed  the  spirit 
of  the  man ;  he  lingered  near  his  mistress,  and  gazed  on  her 
with  an  intenseness  that  told  his  world  was  there.  To  my 
questions  he  gave  no  answer,  but  obeyed  without  a  word,  or 
a  glance  turned  from  the  exquisite  countenance  that  sank  and 
blushed  under  his  gaze.  If  the  actual  power  of  enchantment 
had  been  wrought  upon  him,  he  could  not  have  been  more 
fixed,  helpless,  and  charmed. 

I  heard  the  voice  of  pain,  and  thought  of  the  ancient  fol- 
lower of  the  house  of  Ananus.  My  cooler  judgment  had  ac- 
quitted him  of  betraying  me  into  the  enemy's  hands.  A  part 
of  the  cell  was  filled  up  with  remnants  of  a  canopy  removed 
from  the  statelier  apartments.  The  groan  came  from  behind 
them.  I  flung  them  away,  and  saw  a  door  open  by  which  he 
must  have  entered.  I  returned,  desired  the  captain  and  Naomi 
to  follow,  wrapped  myself  in  a  cloak,  and  sword  in  hand,  led 
the  way  through  the  darkness.  I  had  not  gone  far  when  I 
found  myself  treading  on  a  human  body.  I  sprang  back,  but 
the  figure,  more  startled  than  I,  rolled  down  a  succession  of 
steps  before  me,  and  falling  against  a  door,  burst  it  open.  A 
strong  light  from  within  flashed  up  the  stairs,  and  taking 
Naomi's  hand,  I  led  her  down  this  steep  and  narrow  outlet  of 
the  grand  gallery.  As  she  came  toward  the  light,  a  wild  cry 
was  given ;  a  man  rushed  back,  and  exclaiming,  "  It  is  she 

494 


risen  from  the  grave,  the  Arabian !  "  darted  through  the  vast  *>aomi  Causes 
hall,  in  which  were  still  a  number  of  domestics  setting  it  in 
oraer  after  the  banquet.  Every  eye  instantly  turned  to  the 
spot  from  which  we  emerged.  Naomi's  white-robed  form, 
followed  by  her  lover's  and  mine  wrapped  to  the  brow  in  our 
dark  mantles,  formidably  verified  the  superstition. 

The  crowd  were  already  prepared  to  witness  a  wonder  on 
this  night  of  wo ;  they  fled  or  fell  on  their  faces.  The  man, 
still  rushing  on,  propagated  terror  before  us ;  and  through  the 
long  vista  of  lighted  chambers,  where  to  be  seen  might  have 
been  ruin,  we  moved  unquestioned  until  we  reached  the  portal. 
It,  too,  had  been  thrown  open  by  some  of  the  fugitives ;  the 
gardens  were  deserted ;  the  troops  had  been  drawn  to  another 
quarter  of  the  palace.  Before  us  was  welcome  solitude,  and 
we  were  soon  winding  through  the  -wood-paths  by  the  light  of 
the  stars. 


495 


CHAPTER  LXHI 

A  cMinsirel's  PoJt>er  of  Speech 

Ube /light  WHILE  we  traversed  the  grounds,  the  heaving  of  the 
branches  under  the  wind,  which  rose  in  strong  gusts  from 
time  to  time,  and  the  rush  of  the  rivulets  from  the  hillsides, 
which  retained  the  swell  of  the  melting  snows,  prevented  our 
hearing  other  sounds ;  but  when  we  emerged  from  this  little 
forest  of  every  plant  that  yields  fruit  or  fragrance  and  began 
to  climb  the  surrounding  ridge,  the  sights  and  sounds  to  which 
I  had  been  so  long  accustomed  broke  upon  us.  To  the  south 
a  long  line  of  light  showed  where  Jerusalem  was  struggling 
against  a  midnight  assault,  and  the  uproar  of  battle  came  wild- 
ly on  the  wind.  The  Roman  camp-fires  blazed  round  the  prom- 
ontory Scopas,  like  the  innumerable  crevices  of  a.  huge  vol- 
canic hill  breathing  flame  from  root  to  summit.  But  a  more 
immediate  peril  lay  behind  us.  The  first  height  from  which 
we  could  see  the  palace  showed  us  the  well-known  fire-signals 
of  the  enemy  flaming  on  its  battlements.  Our  escape  had  been 
discovered.  The  signals  were  answered  from  every  point  of 
the  horizon.  Where  a  signal  was,  there  was  an  enemy's  post; 
we  could  not  advance  a  step  without  the  most  imminent 
chance  of  seizure,  and  in  those  times,  death  by  the  shaft  or  the 
sword  was  the  instant  consequence.  The  signals  were  followed 
by  the  trumpet,  and  every  blast  from  the  palace  roof  was 
answered  for  miles  round. 

The  whole  horizon  was  alive  with  enemies,  and  yet,  if  in 
every  call  captivity  and  death  had  not  been  the  language,  this 
circling  echo  of  the  noblest  of  all  instruments  of  sound,  com- 
ing in  a  thousand  various  tones  from  the  varied  distances, 
softened  by  the  dewy  softness  of  the  night,  and  breathing 
from  sources  invisible,  as  if  they  were  inspired  only  by  the 
winds,  or  poured  from  the  clouds,  might  have  seemed  sublime. 

498 


But  a  new  alarm  rose  in  the  direction  of  the  forest,  which 
now  lay  beneath  us  like  a  sea  slightly  silvered  on  its  thousand 
billows  by  the  sinking  moon.  The  trampling  of  cavalry  was 
distinctly  heard  in  pursuit,  and  torches  were  seen  rushing 
through  the  trees.  The  pursuit  had  turned  into  the  very  path 
by  which  we  came,  and  the  baying  of  a  bloodhound  up  the 
ridge  was  guiding  the  cavalry  to  our  inevitable  capture  if  we 
remained.  I  was  resolved  not  to  be  taken  while  I  could  fight 
or  fly,  and  pointing  out  to  my  fellow  fugitives  the  horsemen, 
as  they  scoured  the  foot  of  the  hills,  I  plunged  down  into  a 
ravine,  where  I  could  expect  to  find  only  some  torrent  too 
deep  for  us  to  pass.  But  it  was  at  least  protracted  fate. 

I  had  given  Naomi  into  the  hands  of  her  lover,  and  while 
they  slowly  descended  the  precipice,  returned  to  its  edge  to 
ascertain  whether  the  enemy  were  still  upon  our  steps.  The 
rock  toward  the  summit  was  splintered  into  a  number  of  little 
pinnacles,  grasping  one  of  which,  I  clung,  listening  and  gazing 
with  indescribable  nervousness.  The  sounds  of  pursuit  had 
perished,  or  were  so  mingled  with  the  common  sounds  of 
nature  as  to  be  unheard,  and  I  was  congratulating  myself 
upon  our  total  safety,  and  about  to  return  to  the  spot  where  I 
had  left  my  companions,  when  the  torchlight  shot  up  from  the 
dell,  immediately  below  me.  I  gave  a  hurried  glance  along 
the  ravine,  but  Naomi  was  not  there.  A  detachment  of 
archers  was  climbing  over  the  huge  rocks  that  filled  up  its 
depth,  and  flashing  torches  through  every  hollow  where  a 
human  being  could  lie. 

To  rescue  my  unfortunate  charge  was  my  first  resolve,  and 
I  began  to  let  myself  down  the  abrupt  side  vf  the  hollow  be- 
fore the  torches  disappeared.  They  at  last  seemed  to  be  com- 
pletely gone,  but  as  I  hung  within  a  few  feet  of  the  path,  a 
groAvl  and  a  dash  at  my  throat  nearly  overthrew  my  steadi- 
ness. I  knew  that  a  precipice  of  immense  depth  lay  under- 
neath, and  in  the  utter  darkness  I  could  have  no  certainty 
that  my  next  step  might  not  carry  me  over  it. 

My  sole  expedient  was  to  grasp  the  rock  with  one  hand  and 
defend  myself  to  the  last  with  the  other.  The  bloodhound 
had  tracked  me,  and  he  flew  again  at  my  throat ;  but  I  was 

33  497 


darrp  Cbou  GUI  f  Come 


Pictime  of  tbc  now  prepared ;  I  caught  him  in  the  bound  and  whirled  him 
down  the  ravine.  His  howl,  as  he  fell  from  crag  to  crag,  be- 
trayed me  at  once.  A  hundred  torches  rushed  upward.  I 
climbed  the  pinnacle,  sprang  from  its  top  into  a  pine  thicket, 
and  winding  over  a  long  extent  of  broken  ground,  gradually 
lost  torches  and  outcries  together. 

After  a  pause,  to  consider  in  what  quarter  final  escape  was 
most  probable,  a  glimmering  light  through  the  thicket  at  a 
considerable  distance  toward  the  city  determined  me.  My 
pursuers  must  be  far  behind ;  the  loss  of  the  bloodhound  di- 
minished still  more  their  chance  of  reaching  my  track  through 
a  remarkably  wild  and  broken  district ;  and  come  what  would, 
whether  that  light  was  kindled  by  friends  or  enemies,  I  should 
see  them  before  they  could  discover  me.  I  struggled  on  until 
I  reached  the  base  of  a  ridge,  on  whose  farther  side  the  light 
gleamed.  To  ascend  it  was  beyond  my  powers,  but  by  gliding 
along  the  base  I  found  a  crevice,  which,  enlarged  whether  by 
nature  or  the  human  hand,  led  through  the  hill.  My  way  in 
darkness  was  brief ;  I  had  not  gone  a  third  of  the  distance 
when  the  light  shone  strongly  through  the  cavern.  At  its 
mouth  I  stood  overwhelmed — I  had  strayed  into  the  memor- 
able valley  of  the  Crosses! 

Thousands  of  men,  besmeared  with  blood,  dust,  and  clay, 
half  naked,  brandishing  weapons  still  dripping  with  gore; 
whirling  torches ;  shouting  out  roars  of  triumph ;  howling  in 
desperate  lamentation ;  kneeling  and  weeping  over  the  dead 
with  the  most  violent  affliction ;  wrapping  themselves  in  robes 
and  armor;  tearing  away  their  raiment,  and  flinging  sword 
and  spear  into  the  flames ;  throwing  hundreds  of  corpses  into 
one  promiscuous  burning,  round  which  they  danced  with  furi- 
ous exultation ;  carrying  away  on  litters  of  lances  and  branches, 
corpses  that  they  seemed  to  hallow  as  more  than  mortal; 
every  strange  variety  of  human  passion,  wound  up  to  its 
wildest  height,  was  pictured  before  me,  and  all  was  thrown 
into  the  most  living  distinctness  by  the  blaze  of  an  immense 
central  heap  of  timber. 

The  horrid  cruelties  of  the  execution  had  been  heard  of  in 
Jerusalem,  and  the  spirit  of  the  people  was  roused  to  ven- 

498 


H  Minstrel's  power  of  Speecb 


geance.  With  that  imperishable  courage  which  distinguished  Ube  last  of  tbe 
them  above  all  nations,  a  scorn  of  hazard  that  in  those  un- 
happy days  only  urged  them  to  their  ruin,  they  determined  to 
make  the  enemy  pay  in  slaughter  for  the  memory  of  their 
warriors.  A  multitude  without  a  leader,  but  among  whom 
served  with  the  simple  spear  many  a  leader,  poured  out  from 
the  gates  to  attack  an  enemy  flushed  with  victory,  and  secured 
in  entrenchments,  impregnable  to  the  naked  strength  of  my 
unfortunate  countrymen.  They  divided  into  two  armies,  one 
of  which  assaulted  the  lines,  while  the  other  marched  to  the 
valley  of  the  Crosses.  The  assault  on  the  lines  was  repelled 
after  long  and  desperate  displays  of  intrepidity.  It  was  the 
intelligence  of  this  attack  that  had  broken  up  the  banquet. 
The  Romans  sustained  heavy  losses  in  the  early  part  of  the 
night;  their  outposts  in  the  plain  were  sacrificed,  and  the 
chief  part  of  their  cantonments  burned. 

But  the  "army  of  vengeance,"  a  name  given  to  it  alike  by 
Jew  and  Koman,  accomplished  its  purpose  with  dreadful 
retribution.  The  legionaries  posted  to  defend  the  valley  were 
trampled  down  and  destroyed  at  the  first  charge.  Troop 
on  troop,  sent  to  extricate  them,  met  with  the  same  fate. 
One  of  the  few  prisoners  described  the  valley,  when  his 
cohort  reached  its  verge,  as  having  the  look  of  a  living 
whirlpool,  a  vast  and  tempestuous  rolling  and  heaving  of  in- 
furiate life,  into  which  the  attempt  to  descend  was  instant 
destruction. 

" Every  cohort  that  entered  it,"  said  the  centurion,  "was 
instantly  engulfed  and  seen  no  more.  Last  night  our  legion, 
the  fifteenth,  lay  down  in  their  tents  five  thousand  strong ;  to- 
night there  are  not  ten  of  us  on  the  face  of  the  earth. " 

The  conflict  was  long,  and  the  last  of  the  enemy  were  under 
the  Jewish  sword  when  I  reached  the  mouth  of  the  fissure. 
But  in  the  first  intervals  of  the  struggle,  the  remains  of  our 
tortured  people  had  been  taken  down  from  the  accursed  tree, 
tended  with  solemn  sorrow,  and  given  up  to  their  relatives 
and  friends  to  be  borne  back  to  Jerusalem.  The  crosses  were 
thrown  into  a  heap  and  set  on  fire;  the  fallen  legionaries  un- 
derwent the  last  indignities  that  could  be  inflicted  by  scorn 

499 


Gbou  Gill  1  Come 


Saiatbiel  and  rage ;  and  when  even  those  grew  weary,  were  flung  into 
*urn8acro89  the  blazing  pile. 

The  fate  of  the  noble  Eleazar  was  still  unknown,  and  to 
obtain  the  certainty  of  his  preservation  or  to  render  the  last 
honor  to  his  remains,  I  forced  my  way  toward  the  spot  on 
which  I  had  seen  him  awaiting  death.  But  my  searches  were 
in  vain ;  the  witnesses  on  both  sides  were  now  where  there  is 
no  utterance.  Guard,  executioner,  and  victim  were  clay ;  the 
battle  had  raged  chiefly  round  that  spot,  and  the  ground, 
trampled  and  deep  in  blood,  gave  melancholy  evidence  of  the 
havoc.  There  were  painful  and  peculiar  signs  of  the  sacrifice 
that  had  extinguished  the  little  group  of  the  converts,  and  I 
poured  oil  and  wine  upon  their  hallowed  ashes.  A  large 
fragment  of  a  cross  still  stood  erect  in  the  midst  of  them. 

"Was  it  upon  thee,  accursed  thing,"  I  exclaimed,  "that  the 
life-blood  of  my  brother  was  poured?  Was  it  upon  thee  that 
the  last  breath  was  breathed  in  torture  from  the  lips  of  virtue, 
heroism,  and  purity?  Never  shalt  thou  minister  again  to  the 
cruelty  of  the  monsters  that  raised  thee  there." 

Indignantly  I  tore  up  the  beam,  and  dragging  it  to  the  pile 
by  my  single  strength — to  the  wonder  of  the  crowd,  who 
eagerly  offered  their  help,  but  whom  I  would  not  suffer  to 
share  in  this  imaginary  yet  consoling  retribution — I  rolled  it 
into  the  flames  amid  shouts  and  rejoicings. 

Daybreak  was  now  at  hand,  and  the  sounds  of  the  enemy's 
movements  made  our  retreat  necessary.  We  heaped  the  last 
Roman  corpse  on  the  pile,  covered  it  with  the  broken  spears, 
helmets,  and  cuirasses  of  the  soldiery,  and  then  left  the  care 
of  the  conflagration  to  the  wind.  From  the  .valley  to  Jeru- 
salem our  way  was  crowded  with  the  enemy's  posts;  but  the 
keen  eye  and  agile  vigor  of  the  Jew  eluded  or  anticipated  the 
heavy-armed  legionaries,  by  long  experience  taught  to  dread 
the  night  in  Judea,  and  we  reached  the  Grand  Gate  of  Zion 
as  the  sun  was  shooting  his  first  rays  on  the  pinnacles  of  the 
Temple. 

In  those  strange  and  agitated  days,  when  every  hour  pro- 
duced some  extraordinary  scene,  I  remember  none  more  ex- 
traordinary than  that  morning's  marching  into  the  city.  It 

500 


/HMnstrel's  fcower  of  Speecb 


was  a  triumph,  but  how  unlike  all  that  bore  the  name !  It 
was  no  idle,  popular  pageant ;  no  fantastic  and  studied  exhibi- 
tion of  trophies  and  treasures ;  no  gaudy  homage  to  personal 
ambition;  no  holiday  show  to  amuse  the  idleness  or  feed  the 
vanity  of  a  capital  secure  in  peace  and  pampered  with  the 
habits  of  opulence  and  supremacy.  It  was  at  once  a  rejoi- 
cing, a  funeral,  a  great  act  of  atonement,  a  popular  preserva- 
tion, and  a  proud  revenge  on  the  proudest  of  enemies. 

On  the  night  before,  not  an  eye  had  closed  in  Jerusalem. 
The  Romans,  quick  to  turn  every  change  to  advantage,  had 
suffered  the  advance  of  our  irregular  combatants  only  until 
they  could  throw  a  force  between  them  and  the  gates.  The 
assault  was  made,  and  with  partial  success ;  but  the  popula- 
tion, once  roused,  was  terrible  to  an  enemy  fighting  against 
walls  and  ramparts,  and  the  assailants  were,  after  long 
slaughter  on  both  sides,  drawn  off  at  the  sight  of  our  columns 
moving  from  the  hills. 

We  thus  marched  in  unassailed,  a  host  of  fifty  thousand 
men,  as  wild  and  strange -looking  a  host  as  ever  trod  to  ac- 
clamations from  voices  unnumbered.  Every  casement,  roof, 
battlement,  and  wall  in  the  long  range  of  magnificent  mansions, 
leading  round  by  the  foot  of  Ziou  to  Mount  Moriah,  was 
crowded  with  spectators.  Man,  woman,  and  child  of  every 
rank  were  there  straining  their  eyes  and  voices,  and  waving 
hands,  weapons,  and  banners  in  honor  of  their  deliverers  from 
the  terror  of  massacre.  Our  motley  ranks  had  equipped  them- 
selves with  the  Roman  spoils  wherever  they  could,  and  among 
the  ragged  vestures,  discolored  turbans,  and  rude  pikes,  moved 
masses  of  glittering  mail,  helmets,  and  gilded  lances.  Beside 
the  torn  flags  of  the  tribes,  embroidered  standards  were  tossing 
with  the  initial  of  the  Caesars,  or  the  golden  image  of  some 
deity,  mutilated  by  our  scorn  of  the  idolater. 

The  Jewish  trumpets  had  scarcely  sent  up  their  chorus, 
when  it  was  followed  by  the  clanging  of  the  Roman  cymbal, 
the  long  and  brilliant  tone  of  the  clarion,  or  the  deep  roar  of 
the  brass  conch  and  serpent.  Close  upon  ranks  exulting  and 
shouting  victory  came  ranks  bearing  the  honored  dead  on  lit- 
ters and  bursting  into  bitter  sorrow ;  then  rolled  onward  thou- 

501 


Cbou  (Till  1  Come 


Eatber's  sands  bounding  and  showing  the  weapons  that  they  had  torn 
from  the  enemy ;  then  passed  groups  of  the  priesthood — for 
they,  too,  had  long  taken  the  common  share  in  the  defense — 
singing  one  of  the  glorious  hymns  of  the  Temple ;  then  again 
followed  litters,  surrounded  by  the  wives  and  children  of  the 
dead,  wrapt  in  inconsolable  grief.  Bands  of  warriors,  who 
had  none  to  care  for,  the  habitual  sons  of  the  field;  armed 
women;  chained  captives;  men  covered  with  the  stately 
dresses  of  our  higher  ranks ;  biers  heaped  with  corpses ; 
wagons  piled  with  armor,  tents,  the  wounded  and  the  dead ; 
every  diversity  of  human  circumstance,  person,  and  equipment 
that  belongs  to  a  state  in  which  the  elements  of  society  are  let 
loose — in  that  march  successively  moved  before  the  eye. 
With  the  men  were  mingled  the  captured  horses  of  the  legion- 
aries ;  the  camels  and  dromedaries  of  the  allies ;  herds  of  the 
bull  and  buffalo,  droves  of  goats  and  sheep;  the  whole  one 
mighty  mass  of  misery,  rejoicing  nakedness,  splendor,  pride, 
humiliation,  furious  and  savage  life,  and  honored  and  lamented 
death ;  the  noblest  patriotism  and  the  most  hideous  abandon- 
ment to  the  excesses  of  our  nature. 

As  soon  as  I  could  extricate  myself  from  the  concourse,  I 
hastened  to  appease  the  anxieties  of  my  family,  who  had  suf- 
fered the  general  terrors  of  the  night,  with  the  addition  of 
their  own  stake  in  my  peril  and  that  of  Constantius.  My 
first  inquiry  was  for  Esther.  To  my  great  delight,  she  had 
returned,  but  was  still  in  nervous  alarm.  On  the  night  of 
her  being  led  through  filial  zeal  to  meet  Septiinius,  she  was 
seized  by  a  party  of  armed  men  mid  by  them  conveyed  to  a 
dungeon,  where  questions  had  been  put  to  her  tending  to 
charge  me  at  once  with  magic  and  correspondence  with  the 
enemy.  But  this  persecution  ceased,  and  she  found  herself 
as  unexpectedly  set  at  liberty  as  she  had  been  seized.  At  the 
gate  of  her  prison  the  minstrel  had  met  her,  and  through  the 
midst  of  the  city,  then  in  its  fiercest  agitation,  had  with  sin- 
gular dexterity  conducted  her  safely  home. 

A  service  of  this  kind  was  not  to  go  unrewarded,  and  he  had 
been  suffered  to  remain  under  our  roof  until  my  return.  Hut 
by  that  time  he  had  made  his  ground  secure  by  such  zealous 

502 


Afn0trel'0  power  of  Spcccb 


service   and  so  many  graceful  qualities,  that  even  Miriam,  H  rtHnstrei's 
sensitive  and  sagacious  as  she  was,  desired  that  he  should  be 
retained. 

From  his  knowledge  of  the  various  dialects  of  Asia  and  his 
means  of  unsuspected  intercourse,  few  events  could  occur  of 
which  he  had  not  obtained  some  previous  knowledge.  His 
adroitness  in  availing  himself  of  his  knowledge  I  had  already 
experienced  in  my  escape  from  the  gates,  and  it  was  to  him 
that  was  due  the  flight  of  the  negroes.  A  stray  charger,  a 
mask,  and  the  common  juggler's  contrivance  of  breathing 
flames,  made  up  the  demon  that  defrauded  the  Ethiopian  ex- 
chequer. But  his  dexterity  in  the  arts  of  elegance  and  taste 
was  singular;  his  pencil  was  dipped  in  nature,  and  the 
sketches,  which  he  was  perpetually  making  of  the  wild  and 
picturesque  population  that  now  filled  our  streets,  were  incom- 
parable. He  sculptured,  he  modeled,  he  wove ;  he  wrought 
the  gold  filigree  and  chainwork,  for  which  our  artists  were 
famous,  with  a  skill  that  the  most  famous  of  them  have 
envied.  His  knowledge  of  languages  seemed  the  natural  re- 
sult of  his  wanderings,  but  it  was  extraordinarily  various  and 
pure.  The  dance  and  song  were  part  of  his  profession ;  but 
from  the  little  imperfect  harp  in  use  among  the  minstrels  he 
drew  tones  that  none  other  had  ever  delighted  me  with — 
sounds  of  such  alternate  spirit  and  sweetness,  such  tender 
and  heart-reaching  power,  that  they  were  like  an  immediate 
communication  of  mind  with  mind. 

And  the  charm  of  those  acquirements  was  enhanced  by  the 
graceful  carelessness  with  which  he  made  his  estimate  of  their 
value.  To  my  questions  how  he  could  at  his  age  have  mas- 
tered so  many  attainments,  his  reply  was  that  with  his  three 
teachers  "everything  might  be  learned;  common  sense  alone 
excepted,  the  peculiar  and  rarest  gift  of  Providence !  Those 
three  teachers  were  Necessity,  Habit,  and  Time.  At  his  start- 
ing in  life  Necessity  had  told  him  that,  if  he  hoped  to  live, 
he  must  labor ;  Habit  had  turned  the  labor  into  an  indulgence ; 
and  Time  gave  every  man  an  hour  for  everything  unless  he 
chose  to  sleep  it  away." 

But  he  had  higher  topics,  and  the  sagacity  of  his  views,  in 

503 


Gbou  Sill  1  Come 


Constantiua'  a  crisis  that  was  made  to  shake  the  wisdom  of  the  wise,  often 
Hbecncc  ^i^  me  jn  astonishment.  The  fate  of  Constantius  deeply 
perplexed  me.  He  had  now  been  absent  long,  and  no  tidings 
of  him  could  be  heard  among  the  returning  warriors  further 
than  that  he  had  joined  them,  in  the  march  to  the  valley  of 
the  Crosses,  had  distinguished  himself  by  the  intrepidity  of 
his  attack  on  the  legionary  guard  at  the  entrance,  and  was 
seen  for  a  short  time  with  a  captured  standard  in  his  hand 
leading  on  the  people.  Unable  to  endure  the  silent  anguish  of 
those  round  me,  silent  only  through  fear  of  giving  me  pain,  I 
had  determined  on  passing  the  walls  again  to  seek  my  brave 
and  unfortunate  son  among  the  fallen.  But  Miriam's  quick 
affection  detected  me,  and  with  weeping  prayers  she  implored 
that  "  I  should  not  risk  a  life  on  which  hung  her  own  and 
those  of  her  children." 

The  sound  of  the  lyre  came  suddenly  upon  the  air,  and  to 
dissipate  the  cloud  that  was  gathering  on  my  mind,  I  wandered 
to  a  balcony  where,  in  the  evening  light  and  the  pleasant 
breathing  of  the  breeze,  the  minstrel  was  touching  the  strings 
to  the  song  that  had  first  attracted  me.  I  flung  my  wearied 
frame  on  a  couch  and  listened  until  memory  became  too  keen, 
and  I  waved  my  hand  to  him  to  change  the  strain.  He 
obeyed,  but  his  heart  was  in  the  harp  no  more ;  his  touch  fal- 
tered, the  song  died  away,  and  he  approached  me  with  a 
soothingness  of  voice  and  manner  that  none  would  have 
desired  to  resist. 

"  My  prince, "  said  he,  "  you  are  unhappy,  and  if  your  sor- 
rows can  be  lightened  by  any  service  of  mine,  why  not  com- 
mand me?  " 

He  waited ;  but  I  was  too  much  absorbed  in  gloomy  specu- 
lation. 

"I  can  pass  the  gates,"  he  timidly  continued,  "if  such  be 
my  lord's  will." 

I  made  a  sign  of  dissent,  for  the  enemy,  since  their  late 
surprise,  had  begun  to  urge  the  siege  with  increased  vigi- 
lance. Yet  my  anxiety  for  the  fate  of  Constantius,  and 
scarcely  less  for  that  of  Naomi  and  her  lover,  must  have 
been  visible. 

504 


rtMnstrePs  power  of  Speecb 


He  still  lingered  nigh,  watching  the  indications  which  in-     Saiatb'fei's 
ward  struggle  so  forcibly  paints  upon  the  external  man. 

"Prince  of  Naphtali,"  said  he  in  a  steadier  tone,  "among 
my  teachers  I  forgot  to  mention  one,  and  that  one  the  most 
effective  of  all  —  Self-determination !  not  the  mere  disregard 
of  personal  risk,  but  the  intrepidity  of  the  mind.  I  loved 
knowledge,  and  I  pursued  it  without  fear.  Nature  is  bound- 
less, wise,  and  wonderful— but  prejudice  bars  up  the  gate  of 
knowledge.  The  man  who  would  learn  must  despise  the  ti- 
midity that  shrinks  from  wisdom,  as  he  must  hate  the  tyranny 
of  opinion  that  condemns  its  pursuit.  Wisdom  is  like  beauty, 
to  be  won  only  by  the  bold." 

I  looked  up  at  the  young  pronouncer  of  the  oracle.  His 
countenance,  animated  by  the  topic,  wore  an  expression  of 
power,  in  which  I  should  never  have  recognized  the  delicate 
and  dejected  being  that  he  always  appeared,  except  in  some 
moment  of  sportiveness,  come  and  gone  with  the  quickness  of 
lightning. 

"  Minstrel,  apply  this  to  our  people  or  their  bigoted  and 
ignorant  leaders.  I  have  no  prejudices." 

"  All  men  have  them,  my  prince,  and  the  only  distinction 
is  that  in  some  they  are  mean,  dark,  and  malignant;  in  others 
they  are  lofty,  generous,  and  sensitive ;  yet  they  are  but  the 
stronger  for  their  nobleness.  The  mind  itself  struggles  to 
throw  off  the  vile  and  naked  fetter.  But  how  many  forget 
the  incumbrance  of  the  chain  of  gold  in  its  preciousness !  " 

He  hesitated,  and  then, with  a  still  more  elevated  air,  again 
began  : 

"  You  despise,  for  instance,  the  little  ingenuities  of  our  pro- 
fession, and  I  own  that  in  general  they  deserve  nothing  else. 
But  if  there  were  to  come  before  you  some  true  lover  of 
nature,  a  disciple  of  that  sublimer  philosophy  which  holds  the 
secrets  of  her  operations,  a  master  of  those  superb  influences 
which  rule  the  frame  of  things,  and  yet  more,  guide  the  fates 
of  men  and  nations — would  not  your  prejudices — and  noble 
ones  they  are — lead  you  to  repel  the  offer  of  his  mysteries?  " 

Thoughts  tending  to  those  mysteries  had  so  often  occurred 
to  me,  and  my  mind  was  by  its  original  constitution  so  fond  of 

605 


<Tarn>  Gbou  GUI  I  Come 


•Cbc  /Btnstrei'ft  the  abstruse  and  the  wild,  that  I  listened  with  interest  to  the 
romance  of  philosophy.  The  figure  before  ine  was  not  un- 
suited  to  the  illusion ;  slight,  habited  in  the  fanciful  dress  of 
his  art,  a  tunic  of  purple  cloth,  bound  round  the  waist  with  a 
girdle ;  the  turban,  a  mere  band  of  scarlet  silk,  lightly  laid 
upon  his  curls.  There  was  in  all  this  nothing  that  was  not  to 
be  seen  at  every  hour  in  the  streets,  but  round  his  waist,  in- 
stead of  the  usual  girdle  of  the  minstrels,  he  wore  to-night  a 
large  golden  serpent,  embossed  and  colored  with  a  startling 
resemblance  to  life,  and  a  broad  golden  circlet  wrought  with 
devices  of  serpents  clasping  his  brow.  The  countenance  was 
vividness  itself,  not  without  that  occasional  wandering  and 
touch  of  melancholy  that  showed  where  early  care  has  been, 
yet  redeeming  the  gloom  by  a  smile  that  had  the  sweetness 
and  suddenness  of  the  sunbeam  across  an  April  shower. 

The  evening  music  of  the  Roman  camps  roused  me  as  their 
ranks  were  drawn  out  for  the  customary  exercise.  I  turned 
from  them  to  glance  upon  the  battlements,  that  were  now 
crowded  with  stragglers  of  the  tribes  inhaling  the  air  of  the 
fields  and  like  myself  gazing  on  the  movements  of  the  enemy. 
The  thought  pressed  on  me  how  soon  and  how  terribly  all  this 
must  end;  what  were  the  multitudes  to  be  that  now  lived  and 
breathed  beneath  my  glance?  The  thought  was  too  painful. 
I  turned  from  earth  to  look  upon  the  east,  where  the  evening 
star  was  lying  on  a  rosy  cloud,  like  a  spirit  sent  to  bring  back 
tidings  from  this  troubled  world. 

"There,  boy,"  said  I,  "will  your  wisdom  tell  me  the  story 
of  that  star?  Are  its  people  as  mad  as  we?  Is  there  ambi- 
tion on  one  side  and  folly  on  the  other?  Are  their  great  men 
the  prey  of  a  populace,  and  their  populace  the  fools  of  their 
great  men?  Have  they  orators  to  inflame  their  passions; 
lawyers  to  beggar  them  in  pursuit  of  justice ;  traders,  to  cheat 
them;  heroes,  to  give  them  laurels  at  the  price  of  blood;  and 
philosophers,  to  be  the  worst  plagues  among  them?  " 

"Even  that  knowledge,"  said  the  minstrel,  "may  not  be 
beyond  the  flight  of  the  human  intellect ;  but  prejudices  must 
be  first  overcome ;  we  must  learn  to  scorn  idle  names,  defy 
idle  fears,  and  use  the  powers  of  nature  to  give  us  the  inas- 

506 


H  /BMnetrel's  power  of  Speecb 


tery  of  nature !     There  are  virtues  in  plants,  in  metals,  even    ube  -Rulers 
in  words,  that  to  seek,  alarms  the  feeble,  but  to  possess,  con- 
stitutes the  mighty.     There  are  influences  of  the  air,  of  the 
stars,  of  even  the  most  neglected  and  despised  things,  that 
may  be  gifted  to  confer  the  sovereignty  of  mankind. " 

I  listened  with  the  passive  indulgence  of  one  listening 
under  a  spell ;  his  voice  had  the  sweetness  and  the  flow  of 
song,  and  his  language  was  made  impressive  by  gestures  of 
striking  intelligence  and  beauty.  He  pointed  to  the  skies,  to 
the  flowers,  to  the  horizon,  that  glowed  like  an  ocean  of  am- 
ber ;  and  his  fine  countenance  assumed  a  changing  character 
of  loftiness,  loveliness,  or  repose  as  he  gazed  on  the  sublime 
or  the  serene. 

"Boy,"  said  I  faintly,  "are  not  such  the  studies  by  which 
the  pagan  world  is  made  evil?  " 

He  smiled.  "No!  Light  is  not  further  from  darkness 
than  wisdom  from  the  superstition  of  the  pagan.  Rome  is 
filled  with  the  madness  that  falls  upon  idolatry  for  its  curse 
— that  has  fallen  since  the  beginning  of  the  world — that  shall 
fall  until  its  end.  She  is  the  slave  of  ghostly  fear.  This 
hour,  among  the  proudest,  boldest,  wisest,  within  the  borders 
of  paganism,  there  lives  not  a  man  unenslaved  by  the  lowest 
delusion.  The  soothsayer,  the  interpreter  of  dreams,  the 
sacrifice!-,  the  seller  of  the  dust  of  the  dead,  the  miserable 
pretender  to  magic — those  are  the  true  rulers  of  the  haughty 
empire — those  are  the  scepter-bearers  to  whom  the  Emperor  is 
a  menial — those  are  the  men  of  might  who  laugh  at  authority, 
set  counsel  at  naught,  and  are  sapping  the  foundations  of  the 
state,  were  they  deep  as  the  center,  by  sapping  the  vigor  of 
the  national  mind." 

While  he  spoke  he  was  with  apparent  unconsciousness 
sketching  some  outlines  on  one  of  the  large  marble  slabs  of 
the  wall.  My  eyes  had  followed  the  sun  until  the  balcony, 
darkened  by  an  old  vine,  was  in  the  depth  of  twilight.  To 
my  surprise,  the  marble  began  to  be  covered  with  fire,  but  fire 
of  the  softest  and  most  silvery  hue.  The  surprise  was  in- 
creased by  seeing  this  glowworm  luster  kindle  into  form.  I 
saw  the  portrait  of  Constantius,  and  by  his  side  Naomi  and 

507 


{Tarn?  tTbou  {Till  1T  Come 


Ubc  idng  of  her  lover.  As  the  lines  grew  clearer  still,  I  saw  them  in 
chains  and  in  a  dungeon!  The  extraordinary  information 
which  the  minstrel  had  the  means  of  obtaining  made  me  de- 
mand in  real  alarm  whether  the  picture  told  the  truth,  and 
that  if  it  did,  I  should  be  instantly  acquainted  with  whatever 
might  enable  me  to  save  them. 

"  And  trifles  like  those  fires  can  excite  your  astonishment?  " 
he  replied;  "what  if  I  were  to  tell  you  of  wonders  such  as  it 
has  not  entered  into  the  mind  of  the  world  to  imagine,  yet 
which  are  before  us  in  every  hour  of  our  lives,  are  mingled 
with  everything,  are  grasped  in  our  insensate  hands;  are  trod- 
den by  our  careless  feet?  See  these  crystals  " — he  scraped  a 
portion  of  the  niter  exuding  from,  the  wall  — "  in  these  is  hid- 
den a  power  to  which  the  strength  of  man  is  but  air — to  which 
the  bulwarks  round  us  are  but  as  the  leaf  on  the  breeze — at 
whose  command  armies  shall  vanish,  mountains  shake,  em- 
pires perish  — the  whole  face  of  society  shall  change ;  yet  by  a 
sublime  contradiction,  combining  the  greatest  evil  with  the 
greatest  good — the  most  lavish  waste  of  life  with  the  most 
signal  provision  for  human  security!  " 

"Look  on  this  metal,"  said  he,  pointing  to  some  of  the 
leaden  ornaments  of  the  balcony,  "and  think  what  is  the 
worth  of  human  judgment.  Who  would  give  the  pearl  or  the 
diamond,  the  silver  or  the  gold,  for  this  discolored  dross? 
Yet  here  is  the  king  of  metals — the  king  of  earth ;  for  it  can 
create,  subdue,  and  rule  all  that  earth  produces  of  power. 
Within  this  dross  are  treasures  hidden,  more  than  earth  could 
buy — truth,  knowledge,  and  freedom.  It  can  give  the  dead  a 
new  life  and  the  living  a  new  immortality.  It  can  sink  the 
haughtiest  usurper  that  ever  sinned  against  man  into  the  low- 
est scorn.  It  can  raise  the  humblest  son  of  obscurity  into 
preeminence,  and  even  without  breaking  in  upon  the  seclu- 
sion that  he  loves,  set  him  forth  to  every  future  age  crowned 
with  involuntary  glory.  It  can  flash  light  upon  the  darkest 
corners  of  the  earth — light  never  to  be  extinguished.  It  can 
civilize  the  barbarian ;  it  can  pour  perpetual  increase  of  hap- 
piness, strength,  and  liberty  round  the  civilized.  It  can  make 
feet  for  itself  that  walk  through  the  dungeon  walls;  wings 

508 


tTarn?  tTbou  tttll  f  Come 


be  fstnij  of  her  lover.     As  the   line 

chains  and  in   a  di:  -aordina; 

which  the  minstrel  had  the  means  of  obt;i 
mand  in  real  alarm  wh. 
that  if  it  did,  I  should  b< 
might  enable  me  to  save  t 

"And  trifles  like  ; 
•    IM-  replied;  "what 

has  not  entered  into  the  mind  of  the  world  : 

whieh  are  before  us 

with  everything,  are  grasped  in  our  in- 

den  by  our  c; 

portion  of  the  niter  exuding  1,  .vail— "in  th< 

li.-u    i  IM. \vei- to  which  the  strength  of  man  is  bu: 

tile   n.lluarv 

whose  eoiiii-. 

pi  res  perish — tin- 

sublime   contrail 

think  v 
in      '   rmiiijii 

iMatiixii'i,  !h'j   silver  '>ld,  for  this  di> 

^^•r.  )i-re  is  the  king  ing  of  ea; 

•  •     subdue,  and    rule   all   that  earth   prod. 

;  in  'his  dro!--  Iden, mon   ihiin  < 

'<••  nth,  kn<-^ 

'    :tnd  the  living  a  new  immortality.     It  c:< 
•  -•»  usurp»»r  tli  linst  man  inti 

It  can   :  i 

])re«-niinr:'-'«-.  and   even  without  breakii 
si  on  that  I'     iov./s,  s^th;!  .  ery  futi. 

with  involuntary  glory.      It  can  flash    ): 
:  - 

e  i  !(.•  h  irb:ic];t{i  ;   il 
.  str-  -',j;\n.  ;,     . 

•  r-r  itself    that  v.  .j'k  '•    the    dtli; 


B  flMnstrel's  power  of  Speech 


that  the  uttermost  limits  of  the  world  can  not  weary;  eyes  to irbe Supremacy 
which  the  darkest  concealments  of  evil  are  naked  as  the  day ; 
intellect   that   darts    through   the   universe    and   solves   the 
mightiest  secrets  of  nature  and  of  mind !     But  in  it,  too,  is  a 
fearful  power  of  ruin." 

He  gazed  on  me  with  a  glance  that  seemed  to  shoot  fire. 

"Holding  the  keys  of  opulence  and  empire,"  he  continued, 
"  it  can  raise  men  and  nations  to  the  most  dazzling  height — 
but  it  can  stain,  delude,  and  madden  them  until  they  become 
a  worse  than  pestilence  to  human  nature." 

While  he  spoke,  his  form  assumed  a  grandeur  commensurate 
with  his  lofty  topics ;  the  power  of  his  voice  awoke  with  the 
awaking  power  of  his  mind.  My  faculties  succumbed  under 
his  presence,  and  I  could  only  exclaim : 

"  More  of  those  wonders ;  give  me  more  of  those  noble  evi- 
dences of  the  supremacy  of  man !  " 

"  Man !  "  said  my  strange  enlightener ;  "  look  upon  him  as 
he  is,  and  what  more  helpless  thing  moves  under  the  canopy 
of  heaven?  The  prey  of  folly,  the  creature  of  accident,  the 
sport  of  nature,  the  surge  whirls  him.  where  it  will ;  the  wind 
scorns  his  bidding;  the  storm  crushes  him;  the  lightning 
smites  him.  But  look  upon  man  when  knowledge  has  touched 
him  with  her  scepter." 

The  circlet  on  his  brow  seemed  to  quiver  and  sparkle  with 
inward  luster;  the  golden  serpent  that  clasped  his  robe 
seemed  to  writhe  and  revolve.  I  felt  like  one  under  fascina- 
tion. A  strange  sense  of  danger  thrilled  through  me,  yet 
mixed  with  a  dreamy  and  luxurious  sense  of  enjoyment.  The 
air  seemed  heavy  with  fragrance,  and  I  sat  listening  in  pow- 
erless homage  to  a  lip  molded  by  beauty  and  disdain. 

"  Man,  the  sport  of  nature !  "  said  he,  pointing  to  a  bead  of 
dew  that  hung  glittering  on  a  leaf  of  the  vine.  "  Say  man,  the 
sovereign  of  nature !  With  but  so  feeble  an  instrument  as 
this  dew-drop  he  might  control  and  scorn  the  wind  and  the 
wave !  Or  would  you  defy  the  storm  in  darkness,  without  sun 
or  star  speed  through  the  unknown  ocean,  and  add  a  new 
world  to  the  old?  Within  this  fragment  lies  the  secret." 

He  struck  off  a  brown  splinter  from  the  stone  of  the  balcony. 

609 


Ubou  GUI  I  Come 


Ernes  -  s>e»s       "  Or  would  you  behold  regions  to  which  the  stars  that  now 

"e  blaze  above  our  heads  are  but  the  portal, "  he  said ;  "  kingdoms 

of  light  never  penetrated  by  mortal  vision ;    generations  of 

worlds?     By  what  splendid  influence,  think   you,  that  the 

miracle  is  to  be  wrought?     Even  by  this  dust!  " 

He  took  up  a  few  grains  of  the  sand  at  his  feet  and  poured 
them  into  my  robe.  He  saw  his  time. 

"Would  you,"  exclaimed  he,  "be  master  of  those  magnifi- 
cent secrets?  Then  bind  this  girdle  round  you  and  invoke  the 
name  that  I  shall  name." 

I  shuddered ;  the  arts  of  the  diviner  flashed  upon  me.  But 
I  had  listened  too  long  not  to  be  enfeebled  by  the  temptation. 
I  felt  the  passion  which  lost  us  paradise — the  thirst  of  for- 
bidden knowledge.  Still  I  resisted.  The  young  deceiver 
pressed  me  with  more  distinct  promises. 

"In  your  fate,"  said  he,  "the  fate  of  your  nation  is  bound 
up.  Has  it  not  been  declared  that  a  great  deliverer  is  to 
come,  by  whom  the  face  of  the  enemies  of  Judah  is  to  be  with- 
ered, and  the  scepter  of  the  earth  given  to  the  hand  of 
Israel?  Pledge  yourself  to  me  and  be  that  deliverer!  You 
shrink !  Know  then  — that  even  while  I  speak,  every  creature 
of  your  blood  is  in  chains ;  your  house  is  desolate ;  your  for- 
tunes are  overthrown ;  you  are  cut  off  root  and  branch ;  you 
are  exiled — desperate — undone!  " 

I  felt  a  dreadful  certainty  that  his  words  were  true.  My 
heart  bled  at  the  picture  of  ruin.  I  wavered.  The  tempta- 
tion tingled  through  my  veins. 

"What  were  the  sacrifice  of  myself,"  thought  I,  "wretched 
and  sentenced  as  I  was,  to  the  preservation  of  beings  made 
for  happiness?  Or  was  I  to  hesitate,  let  the  risk  be  what  it 
might,  when  virtue,  patriotism,  and  boundless  knowledge  were 
added  to  that  preservation?  For  the  trivial  honors  that  man 
could  give  to  man,  the  highest  intellects  of  the  earth  had  been 
influenced,  but  the  honors  of  the  restorer  of  Judah  were  an 
immortal  theme — the  old  splendors  of  triumph  were  pro- 
nounced vain  and  dim,  the  old  supremacy  of  thrones  weak- 
ness, to  the  domination  and  grandeur  of  the  sovereign  who 
should  sway  the  returning  tribes  of  Zion." 

510 


a  flMngtrel's  power  of  Speecb 


The  figure  approached  me,  and  in  a  voice  that  sank  with  3ut>ea 
subtle  force  through  every  nerve  pronounced  the  vow  that  I 
was  to  utter.  I  was  terror-struck;  a  cloud  came  over  my 
sight;  strange  lights  moved  and  glittered  before  me.  I  felt 
the  unspeakable  dread  that  my  faculties  should  betray  me, 
and  that  I  should  unconsciously  yield  to  a  temptation  which 
yet  I  had  no  strength  to  withstand. 

While  I  sat  helpless  and  almost  blind,  I  was  aroused  by  a 
majestic  voice.  I  looked  up.  Eleazar  was  at  my  side.  I 
would  have  flung  myself  into  his  arms ;  I  would  have  cast 
myself  at  his  feet,  but  an  indescribable  sensation  told  me  that 
my  noble  brother  was  to  be  so  approached  no 'more. 

"  Well  and  wisely  hast  thou  resisted,"  were  his  solemn 
words,  "for  in  thee  are  the  last  fortunes  of  thy  people. 
Judea  must  fall ;  but  fallen  with  her  as  thou  shalt  be,  and 
desolate,  despairing,  and  wild  as  shall  be  thy  sojourn,  the  last 
blow  of  ruin  to  both  would  be  given  hadst  thou  yielded  to  the 
adversary." 

I  glanced  at  the  minstrel.  His  visage  was  horror;  he 
stood  deformed,  like  one  dead  in  the  moment  of  torture.  I 
closed  my  eyes  against  the  hideous  spectacle.  A  sound  of 
hurrying  steps  made  me  open  them,  after  how  long  an  interval 
I  know  not.  I  was  alone ! 


511 


CHAPTER  LXIV 
The  'Destruction  of  Jerusalem 

Uo  the  Uower  THE  sounds  of  the  footsteps  increased.  Overwhelmed  as  I 
was  by  the  trial  that  my  mind  had  just  undergone,  I  sat 
nearly  unconscious  of  external  things  till  I  was  roused  by  a 
strong  grasp  from  behind  and  saw  myself  surrounded  by 
armed  men.  I  was  passively  bound ;  and  indifferent  to  for- 
tune, was  flung  into  a  litter  and  conveyed  to  the  Tower  of 
Antonia.  In  this  vast  circle  of  fortifications,  the  citadel  of 
the  former  Roman  garrison,  the  Jewish  government  was  now 
held,  or  rather  Onias  lorded  it  over  the  population.  He  had 
discovered  my  dwelling,  and  the  first  fruit  of  his  knowledge 
was  my  seizure  and  that  of  my  family.  He  was  now  playing 
the  last  throw  of  that  desperate  game  to  which  his  life  had 
been  given.  Power  was  within  his  reach,  yet  there  I  stood  to 
thwart  him  once  more,  and  he  was  resolved  to  extinguish  the 
first  source  of  his  danger.  Yet  I  was  popular,  and  with  all 
his  daring,  he  desired  to  cast  the  odium  of  my  death  on  the 
Sanhedrin.  I  was  to  be  tried  on  the  ground  of  treating  with 
the  enemy ;  my  family  were  seized,  to  shake  my  courage  by 
their  peril,  and  I  was  to  be  forced  to  an  ignominious  confes- 
sion as  the  price  of  saving  their  lives. 

At  the  mouth  of  a  dungeon  a  torch  was  put  into  my  hands. 
I  was  left  to  make  my  way,  and  the  iron  door  was  closed  that 
had  shut  out  many  a  wretch  from  light  and  life.  At  the  bot- 
tom of  the  steps  I  found  a  man  sleeping  tranquilly  on  the 
stone.  The  glare  of  the  torch  disturbed  him;  he  started  up, 
and,  looking  in  my  face,  exclaimed  in  the  buoyant  and  cheer- 
ful tone  by  which  I  should  have  recognized  him.  under  any 
disguise : 

"  By  Jupiter !  I  knew  that  we  were  to  meet !  If  I  had  to 
sleep  to-night  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  I  should  wager  my 

512 


Destruction  of  3eru$alem 


simitar  to  a  straw  that  our  bodies  would  be  found  lying  side    Ube  Captain 
by  side.     I  presume  we  mount  the  scaffold  together  to-mor-    const'antius 
row  for  the  benefit  of  Jewish  morality.     Well,  then,  since  our 
fates  are  to  be  joined,  let  us  begin  by — supping  together." 

It  was  the  captain !  He  laid  his  store  on  the  ground ;  but  I 
was  heartsick,  and  could  only  question  him  of  Naomi,  and 
the  misfortune  which  had  betrayed  him  into  the  hands  of  the 
tyrant. 

"Our  history  is  the  briefest  in  the  world,"  was  the  answer; 
"we  found  ourselves  pursued,  and  we  fled.  The  pursuers  fol- 
lowed faster  than  my  fair  mistress  could  run,  or  I  could  carry 
her.  So  we  were  overtaken  before  we  could  clear  the  rocks, 
and  our  captors  were  forthwith  carrying  us  to  the  Kornan 
camp,  in  great  joy  at  their  prize.  But  it  was  intended  to  be 
an  unlucky  day  for  the  legions.  We  came  across  a  Jewish 
troop,  headed  by  a  fine,  bold  fellow,  who  dashed  upon  the 
captors  and  fluttered  them  like  a  flight  of  pigeons.  Nothing 
could  promise  better  than  the  affair,  for  my  new  captor  turned 
out  to  be  an  old  friend,  and  one  of  the  most  gallant  that  ever 
commanded  a  trireme.  Many  a  day  the  Cypriot  and  I  chased 
(Nemesis  forgive  us  for  it !)  the  pirates  through  the  Cyclades : 
I,  however,  did  not  know  then  what  pleasant  personages  the 
brothers  of  the  free-trade  might  be." 

He  smiled,  and  the  sigh  that  followed  the  smile  told  how 
little  he  had  since  found  to  compensate  for  his  old  adventures. 

"  A  Cypriot.  Your  captor  was  my  son,  my  Constantius !  " 
I  exclaimed. 

"  The  very  man.  When  he  had  found  me  out  under  my 
Arab  trappings,  he  was  all  hospitality,  and  invited  me  to 
share  the  honors  of  his  princely  father's  house.  His  troop 
soon  scattered  every  man  to  his  home,  and  I  was  gazing  at 
the  head  of  an  incomparable  knave  and  early  acquaintance, 
Jonathan,  nailed  up  over  the  gate  for  some  villainy  which  he 
had  not  been  as  adroit  as  usual  in  turning  to  profit,  when 
Constantius,  myself,  and  that  lovely  girl,  whom  I  shall  never 
see  more" — he  bent  his  brows  at  the  recollection — "were 
seized  by  the  guard,  separated,  and  sent,  I  suppose,  alike  to 
the  dungeon." 

83  513 


Gbou  (Till  1  Come 


TTbcEgsptian'0  Shortly  after  midnight  I  was  brought  before  the  tribunal. 
Onias  was  my  accuser,  and  I  was  astonished  at  the  dexterity, 
number,  and  plausibility  of  his  charges — magic,  treachery,  the 
betrayal  of  my  army,  the  refusal  to  push  the  defeated  enemy 
to  a  surrender,  lest  by  the  cessation  of  the  war  my  ambition 
should  be  deprived  of  its  object;  and  last  and  most  astonish- 
ing, the  assassination  of  my  kinsman,  Jubal,  through  fear  of 
his  testimony! 

I  made  my  defense  with  the  fearlessness  of  one  weary  of 
life.  Some  of  the  charges  I  explained ;  others  I  promptly  re- 
pelled. To  the  imputation  of  treachery  I  answered  in  a  single 
sentence. 

"  Read  that  correspondence  with  the  enemy  and  judge  which 
is  the  traitor. " 

I  took  the  Egyptian's  papers  from  my  sash  and  flung  them 
on  the  table.  The  aspect  of  my  accuser  at  the  words  was  one 
that  might  have  made  his  sternest  hater  pity  him.  He  gasped, 
he  trembled,  he  gnashed  his  teeth  in  rage  and  terror,  and 
finally  took  refuge  in  the  ranks  of  his  followers.  But  the 
judges  themselves  were  in  visible  perplexity;  they  looked 
over  the  papers,  held  them  to  the  lamps,  and  examined  them 
in  all  imaginable  ways,  until  the  chief  of  the  Sanhedrin  rising, 
with  a  frown  that  fixed  all  eyes  on  me,  flung  the  papers  at  my 
feet.  The  deepest  silence  was  round  me  as  I  took  up  the  re- 
jected proofs.  To  my  astonishment  they  were  utterly  blank! 

I  now  recollected  that  on  my  entrance  I  had  been  pressed 
upon  by  the  crowd.  In  that  moment  the  false  papers  must 
have  been  substituted.  I  saw  the  Egyptian  gliding  away 
from  the  side  of  Onias,  and  saw  by  the  countenance  of  my  ac- 
cuser that  the  tidings  of  the  robbery  had  just  reached  him. 
He  now  declaimed  against  me  with  renewed  energy.  He  was 
eloquent  by  nature ;  the  habit  of  public  affairs  had  given  his 
speaking  that  character  of  practical  vigor  and  reality  which  is 
essential  to  great  public  impression ;  his  fortunes  hung  in  the 
scale — perhaps  his  life;  and  he  poured  out  the  whole  collected 
impulse  in  a  torrent  of  the  boldest  and  most  nervous  declama- 
tion upon  my  head.  Still  my  name  was  high ;  my  rank  was 
not  to  be  lightly  assailed ;  my  national  services  were  felt ;  and 

514 


tlbe  Destruction  of  Jerusalem 


even  the  corrupt  judicature  summoned  for  my  ruin  were  not  -Cbe  Secret  of 
so  insensible  to  popular  feeling  as  to  violate  the  forms  of  law 
to  crush  me.  The  trial  lasted  during  the  night.  I  had  the 
misery  to  see  my  wife,  my  children,  Constantius,  Naomi,  my 
domestics,  my  fellow  warriors,  every  human  being  whom  there 
was  a  chance  of  perplexing,  or  terrifying  into  testimony, 
brought  forward  against  me. 

As  a  last  resource,  on  the  secret  suggestion  of  the  Egyptian, 
who  had  his  own  revenge  to  satisfy,  the  adventures  of  the 
pirates'  cavern  were  declaimed  upon,  and  the  captain  was 
summoned  from  his  cell.  His  figure  and  noble  physiognomy 
made  him  conspicuous,  and  a  general  murmur  of  admiration 
arose  on  his  advance  to  the  tribunal.  Miriam  was  at  my  side. 
I  felt  her  tremble ;  her  color  went  and  came,  and  she  drank 
in  every  tone  of  his  voice  with  an  intense  anxiety.  But  when, 
in  answer  to  the  questions  of  Onias,  he  detailed  his  story,  and 
in  answer  to  the  charge  of  his  being  an  enemy  denied  that  he 
was  either  Roman  or  Greek,  Miriam's  spirit  hung  upon  every 
word. 

"A  soldier's  best  pedigree,"  said  he,  concluding,  "is  his 
sword.  I  know  no  more  than  that  I  was  reared  in  the  house 
of  a  Cypriot  noble,  to  whom  I  had  been  brought  by  a  trader 
of  Alexandria.  My  protector  made  me  a  sailor,  and  would 
have  made  me  his  heir,  but  Roman  insolence  disgusted  me* 
and  I  left  my  command,  bearing  with  me  no  other  inheritance 
than  a  heart  too  proud  for  slavery,  my  simitar,  and  this  signet, 
which  I  have  worn  from  my  infancy." 

He  took  from  his  bosom  a  large  sculptured  gem.  fastened 
to  a  chain  of  pearls.  Miriam  put  forth  her  trembling  hand 
for  it,  read  with  a  starting  eye  her  own  name  and  mine,  and 
exclaiming,  "  My  son !  my  son !  "  tottered  forward  and  fell 
fainting  into  his  arms. 

I  flew  to  them  both,  and  never  did  a  wo-worn  heart  beat 
with  keener  joy  than  when  I,  too,  clasped  my  son,  my  long- 
lost,  my  first-born.  Yet  the  cloud  gathered  instantly.  Had 
he  not  come  to  take  the  earliest  embrace  of  his  parents  in  the 
crisis  of  their  fate — the  promise  of  an  unbroken  lineage,  found 
only  in  the  day  when  my  country  was  in  the  jaws  of  destruc- 

515 


Uarrg  Gbou  CtH  f  Come 


Saiatbiei's  tion — the  father  awaking  to  those  loveliest  and  happiest  ties 
of  our  nature  only  when  the  ax  of  the  traitor  or  the  sword 
of  the  enemy  Avas  uplifted  to  cut  them  asunder  forever — the 
prince,  the  patriot,  the  warrior,  summoned  to  the  first  exer- 
cise of  his  noble  rights  and  duties — when  in  the  next  hour  a 
heap  of  dust  might  be  all  that  was  left  of  his  family  and  his 
people ! 

I  clung  to  my  son  with  a  fondness  thirsting  to  repay  its 
long  arrear.  His  desertion  in  the  hands  of  strangers ;  the 
early  hardships ;  the  loss  of  a  mother's  love  and  a  father's 
protection ;  the  insults  and  privations  that  the  straggler 
through  the  world  must  bear;  the  desperate  hazards  of  his 
life ;  even  the  errors  into  which  necessity  and  circumstance 
had  driven  him,  rose  up  in  judgment  against  me;  I  reproached 
myself  even  for  the  accident,  perhaps  the  irresistible  accident, 
that  gave  my  infant  to  the  roaring  waters.  But  the  tears  and 
exclamations  of  the  people  round  us  recalled  us.  I  might 
then  have  walked  from  the  hall  without  any  man's  daring  to 
lay  a  hand  upon  me,  for  the  public  feeling,  touched  by  the 
discovery  of  my  son,  was  loud  for  my  instant  liberation.  But 
I  was  not  to  be  satisfied  with  this  imperfect  justice,  and  I  de- 
manded that  the  tribunal  should  proceed. 

The  presence  of  my  family  was  felt  too  strong  for  the  fears 
of  my  persecutor,  and  he  demanded  that  they  should  retire. 
An  impression,  like  the  warning  of  a  superior  spirit,  instantly 
told  me  that  the  parting  was  forever !  The  same  impression 
was  evidently  on  their  minds,  for  their  parting  was  like  an 
eternal  farewell.  The  whole  group  at  once  gathered  round 
me.  Constantius  and  Salome  knelt  before  me  for  final  for- 
giveness. My  son  and  his  betrothed  bowed  their  heads  to  ask 
my  blessing.  Miriam  and  Esther  came  last,  and  silently 
hung  upon  my  neck,  dissolved  in  tears  of  matchless  anguish 
and  love.  I  lifted  my  eyes  and  heart  to  Heaven,  and  tho 
oppressed  with  the  terrible  conviction  of  my  own  fate,  put 
forth  my  hands  and  blessed  them  in  the  name  of  the  God  of 
Israel.  I  saw  them  pass  away.  My  firmness  could  bear  no 
more ;  I  wept  aloud.  But  with  my  sorrow  there  was  given  a 
hope — a  light  across  the  gloom  of  my  soul.  When  I  saw 

516 


destruction  of  Jerusalem 


their  stately  forms  solemnly  move  along  through  the  fierce 
and  guilty  multitude,  and  the  distant  portal  shut  upon  them, 
I  thought  of  the  sons  and  daughters  of  the  great  patriarch 
passing  within  the  door  of  the  ark  from  the  midst  of  a  con- 
demned world. 

The  night  wore  on ;  the  people,  exhausted  by  the  length  of 
a  trial,  protracted  for  the  purpose,  had  left  the  hall  nearly 
empty;  and  Onias,  now  secure  of  a  tribunal  that  dreaded 
nothing  but  the  public  eye,  urged  the  decision.  The  judges 
were  his  creatures  through  corruption  or  fear ;  his  followers 
alone  remained.  Sure  to  be  crushed,  the  fluctuations  of  hope 
were  gone ;  and  I  listened  to  the  powerful  and  high-wrought 
harangue  of  my  enemy  without  a  feeling  but  of  admiration 
for  his  extraordinary  powers,  or  of  pity  for  their  perverter. 
While  he  stood,  drinking  in  with  ears  and  eyes  the  wonder 
and  homage  of  the  audience,  I  myself  called  for  sentence. 

"Scorning,"  said  I,  "to  reason  with  understandings  that 
will  not  comprehend,  and  consciences  that  can  not  feel,  I  ap- 
peal from  the  man  of  blood  to  the  God  of  mercies ;  from  the 
worse  than  man  of  blood,  from  the  corrupter  of  justice,  to 
HIM  who  shall  judge  the  judge ;  to  Him  who  shall  yet  pass 
sentence  on  all  in  the  sight  of  earth  and  heaven." 

The  chief  of  the  tribunal  rose ;  my  condemnation  was  upon 
a  lip  quivering  and  pale ;  he  had  already  in  his  hand  the  bor- 
der of  the  robe  which  he  was  to  rend,  in  sign  that  the  accused 
was  rent  from  Israel. 

A  confusion  at  the  portal  checked  him,  and  the  words  re- 
sounded :  "  Shed  not  the  innocent  blood !  "  The  voice  was  as 
a  voice  from  the  sepulcher,  melancholy,  but  searching  to  the 
very  heart.  The  guard  gave  way,  and  a  man,  covered  from 
head  to  foot  with  a  sepulchral  garment,  rushed  up  the  im- 
mense hall.  At  the  foot  of  the  tribunal  he  flung  off  the  gar- 
ment, and  disclosed  a  face  and  form  that  well  might  have 
ranked  him  among  the  dwellers  of  the  grave. 

" I  have  come  from  the  tombs, "  exclaimed  he ;  "I  had  lain 
down  to  die  in  the  resting-place  of  my  fathers,  in  the  valley 
of  Jehoshaphat.  A  man  in  white  raiment  stood  beside  me 
and  commanded  me  to  come  and  bear  witness  of  the  truth. 

517 


Sbou  Cfll  U  Come 


©nias  The  Romans  were  round  me — he  led  me  through  them;  the 
battlements  were  before  me  — he  led  me  through  them ;  riot, 
fury,  and  frenzy  stood  in  my  path  through  your  city — he  led 
me  through  them ;  and  lo !  here  I  come,  and  proclaim  by  his 
command:  'Shed  not  the  innocent  blood.' ' 

Onias  stood  paralyzed.  No  memory  of  mine  could  recall 
the  haggard  features  of  the  stranger.  The  chief  of  the  tri- 
bunal in  manifest  confusion  required  his  name. 

"My  name,"  he  answered,  with  a  wild  wave  of  his  hand, 
"is  nothing — air — is  gone.  What  I  was,  is  past;  what  I 
shall  be,  the  tomb  alone  must  tell ;  but  what  I  am,  is  the  wit- 
ness, commissioned  to  proclaim  Onias  the  betrayer  of  the 
blood  of  your  nobles,  the  slave  of  Rome,  the  traitor  to  his 
country,  the  apostate  to  his  religion." 

All  hands  were  lifted  up  in  astonishment.  Onias,  sick  at 
heart,  made  a  feeble  gesture  of  denial. 

"  Dares  the  traitor  deny  his  own  handwriting?  "  was  the  in- 
dignant reply.  "  Let  him  read  his  treason,  committed  within 
these  twelve  hours." 

He  stalked  over  to  the  guilty  Onias  and  held  his  letters  to 
the  Roman  general  before  his  shrinking  eye. 

While  my  eyes  were  fixed  on  the  portal  through  which  had 
vanished  my  last  hope  of  happiness,  I  was  startled  by  an  out- 
cry, and  I  saw  the  gleam  of  steel  at  my  throat.  Onias,  in  de- 
spair of  smiting  me  by  the  arm  of  the  law,  had  made  a  fren- 
zied effort  to  destroy  me  by  his  own.  Quick  as  lightning  the 
stranger  threw  himself  between  us  and  grasped  the  assassin ; 
they  struggled — they  were  involved  in  the  large  and  loose 
robe  and  fell  together.  I  sprang  forward  to  separate  them. 
But  the  deed  was  done.  Onias  lay  rolling  upon  the  ground; 
the  dagger  was  in  the  stranger's  grasp,  and  it  was  crimson  to 
the  hilt.  I  could  feel  no  vindictiveness  against  the  d}Ting, 
and  I  offered  him  ray  hand.  He  threw  a  violent  expression 
of  scorn  into  his  stiffening  features,  and  cried  at  convulsive 
intervals : 

"No  compassion — no  hypocrisy  for  me  — I  die  as  I  lived. 
I  hated  you,  for  you  thwarted  me. — You  have  the  best  of  the 
game  now ;  but  if  I  had  lived  till  to-morrow,  I  should  have 

518 


Destruction  of  Jerusalem 


been  lord  of  Jerusalem. — The  Romans  will  settle  all. — You 
and  yours  would  have  been  in  my  power. — You  shall  perish. 
— That  boy  is  your  son ;  he  was  brought  to  me  in  his  infancy ; 
I  hated  you  as  my  rival ;  and  I  swore  that  you  should  never 
see  your  first-born  again.  I  sold  him  to  the  Alexandrian. — 
You  shall  not  live  to  triumph  over  me ;  your  dungeon  shall  be 
your  tomb;  another  night,  and  you  sleep  no  more,  or  sleep 
forever. " 

He  gathered  his  mantle  over  his  face  and  died. 

His  followers,  after  the  first  consternation,  demanded 
vengeance  on  the  stranger.  But  it  was  now  my  time  to  pro- 
tect him,  and  I  declared  that  no  man  should  strike  him  but 
through  me. 

"This  is  noble  and  generous,"  interrupted  he,  "but  useless. 
I,  too,  am  dying;  but  I  rejoice  that  I  am  dying  by  the  wound 
meant  for  you.  Have  I  at  last  atoned?  Have  you  forgotten? 
Can  you  forgive?  Then,  prince  of  Naphtali,  lay  your  hand 
upon  this  heart,  and  while  it  beats  believe  that  there  you  are 
honored.  Time  has  changed  me ;  misery  has  extinguished  the 
last  trace  of  what  I  was.  Farewell,  my  kinsman,  friend, 
chieftain — and  remember — Jubal." 

I  caught  him  in  my  arms ;  my  heart  melted  at  his  suffer- 
ings, his  generous  attachment,  his  heroic  devotion,  hi*s  deep 
repentance. 

"  You  have  more  than  atoned,"  I  exclaimed ;  "you  are  more 
than  forgiven.  Live,  my  manly,  kind,  high-hearted  Jubal; 
live  for  the  honor  of  your  race — of  your  country — of  human 
nature." 

He  looked  up  with  a  smile  of  gratitude,  and  faintly  utter- 
ing, "I  die  happy,"  breathed  in  my  arms  the  last  breath  of 
one  of  the  most  gallant  spirits  that  ever  left  the  world. 

Loud  shouts  abroad  and  blazes  that  colored  the  roof  with 
long  columns  of  lurid  light  put  an  end  to  the  deliberation  of 
the  tribunal.  The  enemy  were  assaulting  the  citadel,  and  the 
mockery  of  justice  was  summarily  closed  by  returning  me  to 
my  dungeon,  to  await  times  fitter  for  the  calmness  of  judicial 
murder. 

The  assault  continued  for  some  hours ;  but  to  my  cell,  sunk 

519 


Cbou  GUI  f  Gome 


E»unaeon'ain  the  very  foundations  of  tho  fortress,  day  never  came;  and 
I  lay,  still  buried  in  darkness,  when  I  heard  sounds  like  the 
blows  of  pickaxes,  and  from  time  to  time  the  fall  of  heavy 
bodies,  followed  by  a  roar.  The  air  grew  close,  and  chill  as 
the  dungeon  had  been,  I  experienced  a  sensation  of  heat  still 
more  painful.  The  heat  increased  rapidly.  I  tried  to  avoid 
it  by  shifting  my  place  in  the  vault.  But  the  evil  was  not  to 
be  baffled — the  air  grew  hotter  and  hotter.  I  flung  myself  on 
the  pavement  to  draw  a  cool  breath  from  the  stones ;  they 
began  to  glow  under  me.  I  ran  to  the  door  of  the  dungeon; 
it  was  iron,  and  the  touch  scorched  me.  I  shouted,  I  tore  at 
the  walls,  at  the  massive  rings  in  the  floor,  less  perhaps  from 
the  hope  of  thus  escaping  than  from  the  vague  eagerness  to 
deaden  present  pain  by  violent  effort.  But  I  tore  up  the 
pavement  and  broke  down  the  fragments  of  the  walls  in  vain. 
The  walls  themselves  began  to  split  with  the  heat ;  smoke 
eddied  through  the  crevices  of  the  immense  stones,  and  the 
dungeon  was  filled  with  fiery  vapor.  My  raiment  encumbered 
me ;  I  tore  it  away,  and  on  the  floor  saw  it  fall  in  ashes.  I 
felt  the  agonies  of  suffocation ;  and  at  last,  helpless  and  hope- 
less, threw  myself  down,  like  my  raiment,  to  be  consumed. 

I  had  scarcely  touched  the  stone  when  I  felt  it  shake  and 
vibrate  from  side  to  side.  A  hollow  noise  like  distant  thunder 
echoed  through  the  vault ;  the  walls  shook,  collapsed,  opened, 
and  I  was  plunged  down  a  chasm,  and  continued  rolling  for 
some  moments  in  a  whirl  of  stones,  dust,  earth,  and  smoke. 

When  it  subsided,  I  found  myself  lying  on  the  green  sward, 
in  noonday,  at  the  bottom  of  a  valley,  with  the  tower  of  An- 
tonia  covered  with  the  legionaries,  five  hundred  feet  above 
me.  The  remnants  of  huge  fires  round  pillars  of  timber  ex- 
plained the  mystery.  The  enemy  had  undermined  the  wall, 
and  by  burning  the  props,  had  brought  it  down  at  the  mo- 
ment of  the  assault.  Onias,  the  planner  of  the  attack,  for 
which  he  was  to  be  repaid  with  the  procuratorship  of  Judea, 
had  placed  me  in  the  spot  where  ruin  was  to  begin,  and 
cheered  his  dying  moments  with  the  certainty  that,  acquitted 
or  not,  there  I  must  be  undone ! 

I  long   lay  confused  and  powerless  beside  my  dungeon! 

620 


<Xbe  Destruction  of  Jerusalem 


But  the  twilight  air  revived  me,  and  I  crept  through  the  de-  preparations 
serted  entrenchments  of  the  enemy  until  I  reached  one  of  the 
gates,  where  I  announced  my  name,  and  was  received  with 
rejoicings.  The  heart  of  my  countrymen  was  heroic  to  the 
last,  and  deeply  was  its  heroism  now  demanded ;  for  the 
whole  force  of  the  enemy  had  been  brought  up  for  final  as- 
sault, and  when  I  entered,  every  portion  of  the  walls  was  the 
scene  of  unexampled  battle.  Where  the  ground  suffered  the 
approach  of  troops,  the  enemy's  columns,  headed  by  archers 
and  slingers  innumerable,  rushed  to  the  rampart,  climbing  up 
the  breaches,  with  their  shields  covering  their  heads .  Against 
the  towers  were  wheeled  towers  filled  with  troops,  who  de- 
scended on  the  wall  and  fought  us  hand  to  hand.  We  felt 
the  continued  blows  of  the  battering-rams,  shaking  the  battle- 
ments under  our  feet.  Where  the  ground  repelled  direct  as- 
sault, there  the  military  machines  poured  havoc,  and  those 
were  the  most  dreaded  of  all. 

The  skill  of  man,  exerted  for  ages  on  the  arts  of  compen- 
dious slaughter,  has  scarcely  produced  the  equals  of  those 
horrible  engines.  They  threw  masses  of  unextinguishable 
fire,  of  boiling  water,  of  burning  oil,  of  red-hot  flints,  of 
molten  metal,  from  distances  that  precluded  defense,  and 
with  a  force  that  nothing  could  resist.  The  catapult  shot 
stones  of  a  hundred-weight  from  the  distance  of  furlongs, 
with  the  straightness  of  an  arrow,  and  with  an  impulse  that 
ground  everything  in  their  way  to  powder.  The  fortitude 
that  scorned  the  Roman  spear,  and  exulted  in  the  sight  of  the 
columns  mounting  the  scaling-ladders,  as  mounting  to  sure 
destruction,  quailed  before  the  tremendous  power  of  the  cata- 
pult. The  singular  and  ominous  cry  of  the  watchers,  who 
gave  notice  of  its  discharge,  "The  son  cometh,"  was  a  sound 
that  prostrated  every  man  upon  his  face,  until  the  crash  of 
the  walls  told  that  the  blow  was  given. 

Every  thought  that  I  had  now  for  earth  was  in  the  tower  of 
Antonia !  But  there  the  legions  rendered  approach  impossible, 
and  I  could  only  gaze  from  a  distance  and  see,  in  the  bitter- 
ness of  my  soul,  the  enemy  gradually  forcing  their  way  from 
rampart  to  rampart.  It  was  in  vain  that  I  strove  to  collect  a 

521 


(Tarn?  Gbou  GUI  1  Come 


wao  to^tbe  few  who  would  join  me  in  a  desperate  attempt  to  succor  its 
defenders.  I  was  left  alone,  and  sitting  on  the  battlements, 
I  took  the  chance  of  some  friendly  spear  or  stone. 

Through  all  the  roar  I  heard  the  voice  of  Sabat,  the  Ishmael- 
ite:  the  eternal  "Wo! — wo!— wo!"  loud  as  ever,  and  in 
appalling  unison  with  the  hour.  He  now  came  rushing  along 
the  wall  with  the  same  rapid  and  vigorous  stride  as  of  old, 
but  his  betrothed  no  longer  followed  him.  She  was  borne  in 
his  arms !  The  stones  from  the  engines  thundered  against  the 
wall;  they  tore  up  the  strong  buttresses  like  weeds;  they 
struck  away  whole  ranks  of  men,  and  whirled  their  remnants 
through  the  air.  They  leveled  towers  and  swept  battlements 
away  with  their  defenders  at  a  blow.  But  Sabat  moved  un- 
shrinking on  his  wild  mission.  His  cry  now  was  terrible 
prophecy. 

"  A  voice  from,  the  east,  a  voice  from  the  west,  a  voice  from 
the  four  winds,  a  voice  against  Jerusalem  and  the  holy  house, 
a  voice  against  the  bridegroom  and  the  bride,  a  voice  against 
this  whole  people." 

He  stopped  before  me,  and  pointing  to  the  face  of  his  bride, 
said  with  a  sudden  faltering  and  tears :  "  She  is  gone ;  she  is 
dead.  She  died  last  night.  I  promised  to  die  too.  She  fol- 
lows me  no  more.  It  is  I  that  must  follow  her." 

Death  was  in  his  face,  and  my  only  wonder  was  that  a 
form  so  utterly  reduced  could  live  and  move.  I  offered  him 
some  provision  from  the  basket  of  a  dead  soldier  at  my  feet. 
For  the  first  time  he  took  it,  thanked  me,  and  ate.  Not  less 
to  my  surprise,  he  continued  gazing  round  him  on  the  move- 
ments of  the  enemy,  on  the  temple,  the  tower  of  Antonia, 
and  the  hills.  But  his  station  was  eminently  perilous,  and  I 
pointed  out  one  of  the  military  engines  taking  its  position  to 
play  upon  the  spot  where  we  were.  He  refused  to  stir. 

"The  look  may  be  long,"  said  he,  "when  a  man  looks  his 
last." 

I  heard  the  roar  of  the  engine,  and  leaped  from  the  ram- 
part to  escape  the  discharge.  Sabat  stood,  and  again  began 
his  cry :  "  Wo  to  the  city,  and  to  the  holy  house,  and  to  the 
people !  "  The  discharge  tore  up  a  large  portion  of  the  battle- 

522 


Destruction  of  Jerusalem 


merit.  Sabat  never  moved  limb  or  feature.  The  wall  was  cut  Ubc  conflict  of 
away  on  his  right  and  left,  as  if  it  had  been  cut  with  an  ax. 
He  stood  calmly  on  the  projecting  fragment  with  his  lips  to 
the  lips  of  his  bride.  I  saw  the  engine  leveled  again,  and 
again  called  to  him  to  escape.  He  gave  me  no  answer  but  a 
melancholy  smile  ;  and  crying  out,  with  a  voice  that  filled  the 
air :  "  Wo  to  myself !  "  stood.  I  heard  the  rush  of  the  stone. 
It  smote  Sabat  and  his  bride  into  atoms ! 55 

The  fall  of  our  illustrious  and  unhappy  city  was  super- 
natural. The  destruction  of  the  conquered  was  against  the 
first  principles  of  Roman  polity,  and  to  the  las^  hour  of  our 
national  existence,  Rome  held  out  offers  of  peace,  and  la- 
mented our  frantic  determination  to  be  undone.  But  the  de- 
cree was  gone  forth  from  a  mightier  throne.  During  the  lat- 
ter days  of  the  siege,  a  hostility  to  which  that  of  man  was  as 
the  grain  of  sand  to  the  tempest  that  drives  it  on,  overpow- 
ered our  strength  and  senses. 

Fearful  shapes  and  voices  in  the  air ;  visions  startling  us 
from  our  short  and  troubled  sleep ;  lunacy  in  its  most  hideous 
forms ;  sudden  death  in  the  midst  of  vigor ;  the  fury  of  the 
elements  let  loose  upon  our  unsheltered  heads ;  we  had  every 
terror  and  evil  that  could  beset  human  nature,  but  pestilence ; 
the  most  probable  of  all  in  a  city  crowded  with  the  famish- 
ing, the  diseased,  the  wounded,  and  the  dead.  Yet,  tho 
the  streets  were  covered  with  the  unburied,  tho  every  wall 
and  trench  was  streaming  with  gore,  tho  six  hundred  thou- 
sand corpses  lay  flung  over  the  rampart,  naked  to  the  -sun 
— pestilence  came  not ;  for  if  it  had  come,  the  enemy  would 
have  been  scared  away.  But  the  "  abomination  of  desolation," 
the  pagan  standard,  was  fixed,  where  it  was  to  remain  until 
the  plow  passed  over  the  ruins  of  Jerusalem ! 

On  one  night,  that  fatal  night !  110  man  laid  his  head  upon 
his  pillow.  Heaven  and  earth  were  in  conflict.  Meteors 
burned  above  us ;  the  ground  shook  under  our  feet ;  the  vol- 
cano blazed ;  the  wind  burst  forth  in  irresistible  blasts,  and 
swept  the  living  and  the  dead  in  whirlwinds,  far  into  the 
desert  We  heard  the  bellowing  of  the  distant  Mediterranean, 
as  if  its  waters  were  at  our  side,  swelled  by  a  new  deluge. 

523 


Gbou  Gill  I  Come 


•Cbe  last  Sign  The  lakes  and  rivers  roared  and  inundated  the  land.  The 
fiery  sword  shot  out  tenfold  fire.  Showers  of  blood  fell 
Thunder  pealed  from  every  quarter  of  the  heaven.  Light- 
ning, in  immense  sheets,  of  an  intensity  and  duration  that 
turned  the  darkness  into  more  than  day,  withering  eye  and 
soul,  burned  from  the  zenith  to  the  ground,  and  marked  its 
track  by  forests  on  flame,  and  the  shattered  summits  of  the 
hills. 

Defense  was  not  thought  of,  for  the  mortal  hostility  had 
passed  from  the  mind.  Our  hearts  quaked  for  fear,  but  it 
was  to  see  the  powers  of  heaven  shaken.  All  cast  away  the 
shield  and  the  spear,  and  crouched  before  the  descending  judg- 
ment. We  were  conscience-smitten.  Our  cries  of  remorse, 
anguish,  and  horror  were  heard  through  the  uproar  of  the 
storm.  We  howled  to  the  caverns  to  hide  us ;  we  plunged 
into  the  sepulchers  to  escape  the  wrath  that  consumed  the 
living ;  we  would  have  buried  ourselves  under  the  mountains ! 
I  knew  the  cause,  the  unspeakable  cause,  and  knew  that  the 
last  hour  of  crime  was  at  hand.  A  few  fugitives,  astonished 
to  see  one  man  among  them  not  sunk  into  the  lowest  feeble- 
ness of  fear,  came  round  me,  and  besought  me  to  lead  them 
to  some  place  of  safety,  if  such  were  now  to  be  found  on 
earth.  I  told  them  openly  that  they  were  to  die,  and  coun- 
seled them  to  die  in  the  hallowed  ground  of  the  Temple. 
They  followed  me  through  streets  encumbered  with  every 
shape  of  human  suffering,  to  the  foot  of  Mount  Moriah.  But 
beyond  that,  we  found  advance  impossible.  Piles  of  cloud, 
whose  darkness  was  palpable,  even  in  the  midnight  in  which 
we  stood,  covered  the  holy  hill.  Still,  not  to  be  daunted  by 
anything  that  man  could  overcome,  I  cheered  my  disheartened 
band,  and  attempted  to  lead  the  way  up  the  ascent.  But  I 
had  scarcely  entered  the  cloud  when  I  was  swept  downward 
by  a  gust  that  tore  the  rocks  in  a  flinty  shower  round  me. 

Now  came  the  last  and  most  wondrous  sign  that  marked  the 
fate  of  Israel.  While  I  lay  helpless,  I  heard  the  whirlwind 
roar  through  the  cloudy  hill,  and  the  vapors  began  to  revolve. 
A  pale  light,  like  that  of  the  rising  moon,  quivered  on  their 
edges,  and  the  clouds  rose  and  rapidly  shaped  themselves  into 

524 


tlbe  destruction  of  Jerusalem 


the  forms  of  battlements  and  towers.  The  sound  of  voices  "iefCUf 
was  heard  within,  low  and  distant,  yet  strangely  sweet.  The 
luster  brightened,  and  the  airy  building  rose,  tower  on  tower, 
and  battlement  on  battlement.  In  awe  that  held  us  mute,  we 
knelt  and  gazed  upon  this  more  than  mortal  architecture, 
which  continued  rising  and  spreading,  and  glowing  with  a 
serener  light,  still  soft  and  silvery,  yet  to  which  the  broadest 
moonbeam  was  dim.  At  last  it  stood  forth  to  earth  and 
heaven,  the  colossal  image  of  the  first  Temple,  the  building 
raised  by  the  wisest  of  men,  and  consecrated  by  the  visible 

glory- 
All  Jerusalem  saw  the  image,  and  the  shout  that,  in  the 
midst  of  their  despair,  ascended  from  its  thousands  and  tens 
of  thousands,  told  what  proud  remembrances  were  there. 
But  a  hymn  was  heard  that  might  have  hushed  the  world. 
Never  fell  on  my  ear,  never  on  the  human  sense,  a  sound  so 
majestic,  yet  so  subduing;  so  full  of  melancholy,  yet  of 
grandeur.  The  cloudy  portal  opened,  and  from  it  marched  a 
host  such  as  man  had  never  seen  before,  such  as  man  shall 
never  see  but  once  again ;  the  guardian  angels  of  the  city  of 
David! — they  came  forth  glorious,  but  with  wo  in  all  their 
steps ;  the  stars  upon  their  helmets  dim ;  their  robes  stained ; 
tears  flowing  down  their  celestial  beauty, 

"Let  us  go  hence,"  was  their  song  of  sorrow;  "Let  us  go 
hence,"  was  answered  by  the  sad  echoes  of  the  mountains. 
"Let  us  go  hence,"  swelled  upon  the  night  to  the  farthest 
limits  of  the  land.  The  procession  lingered  long  on  the  sum- 
mit of  the  hill.  Then,  the  thunder  pealed ;  and  they  rose  at 
the  command,  diffusing  waves  of  light-  over  the  expanse  of 
heaven.  Their  chorus  was  heard,  still  magnificent  and  melan- 
choly, when  their  splendor  was  diminished  to  the  brightness 
of  a  star.  The  thunder  roared  again ;  the  cloudy  temple  was 
scattered  on  the  winds ;  and  darkness,  the  omen  of  her  grave, 
settled  upon  Jerusalem ! 

I  was  roused  from  my  consternation  by  the  voice  of  a 
man. 

"  What !  "  said  he,  "  sitting  here,  when  all  the  world  is 
stirring?  Poring  over  the  faces  of  dead  men,  when  you 

525 


Gbou  (Till  1[  Come 


©lance  should  be  the  foremost  among  the  living?  All  Jerusalem  in 
cmpic*  arms,  and  yet  you  scorn  your  time  to  gain  laurels?  " 

The  haughty  and  sarcastic  tone  was  familiar  to  my  recol- 
lection ;  but  to  see,  as  I  did,  a  Roman  soldier  within  a  few 
feet  of  me  was  enough  to  make  me  spring  up,  and  draw  my 
simitar,  careless  of  consequences. 

"You  ought  to  know  me,"  said  he,  without  moving  a 
muscle;  "for  tho  it  is  some  years  since  we  met,  we  have 
not  been  often  asunder.  And  so  here  you  have  been  sitting 
these  twelve  hours  among  corpses,  to  no  better  purpose  than 
losing  your  time  and  your  memory  together !  " 

I  looked  round;  the  sun  was  in  his  meridian.  The  little 
band  that  I  had  led  to  the  foot  of  the  mountain  were  lying 
dead,  to  a  man. 

"  Are  you  not  a  Roman?  "  I  exclaimed. 

"  No ;  but  I  conclude  that  nearly  as  much  absurdity  and 
mischief  may  be  committed  under  these  trappings  as  under 
any  other,  and  therefore  I  wear  them.  But  you  may  exchange 
with  me  if  you  like.  This  cuirass  and  falchion  will  help  you 
to  money,  riot,  violence,  and  vice — and  what  more  do  nine- 
tenths  of  mankind  ask  for  in  their  souls?  Take  my  offer  and 
you  will  be  on  the  winning  side;  another  thing  that  men  like. 
But  be  expeditious,  for  before  this  sun  dips  his  forehead  in 
the  Asphaltites,  the  bloodshed  and  robbery  will  be  over." 

His  laugh,  as  he  uttered  the  words,  was  bitterness  itself, 
and  I  felt  my  flesh  instinctively  shudder.  But  a  glance 
toward  the  Temple  told  me  that  the  words  were  true.  The 
legions  had  forced  their  way  to  the  foot  of  the  third  and 
weakest  rampart,  which  I  now  saw  flying  in  pieces  under  the 
blows  of  the  battering-rams.  They  must  have  marched  by  the 
very  spot  where  I  had  sat  since  midnight,  and  I  probably 
escaped  only  by  being  taken  for  one  of  the  dead.  I  wrung 
my  hands  in  agony.  He  burst  into  a  wild  roar  of  derision. 

"  What  fools  you  lords  of  the  creation  are !  What  is  the 
loss  of  life  to  the  naked  wretches  that  you  see  running  about 
like  frightened  children  on  those  battlements,  or  to  the 
clothed  wretches  that  you  see  ready  to  massacre  them,  for  the 
honor  and  glory  of  a  better-clothed  wretch? — a  dinner  too 

526 


Destruction  of  Jerusalem 


much  will  revenge  them  on  the  Emperor  of  the  earth.     The      Saiatbtel 
spear  or  the  arrow  comes,  and  quick  as  thought  their  troubles     Epfpbanes 
are  at  an  end.     Man ! — the  true  misery  is  to  live,  to  be  con- 
strained to  live,  to  feel  the  wants,  wearinesses,  and  weaknesses 
of  life,  yet  to  drag  on  existence;  to  be what  I  am." 

He  tore  the  helmet  from  his  forehead,  and,  with  a  groan  of 
agony,  flung  it  to  a  measureless  distance  in  the  air.  In  amaze 
and  terror  I  beheld  Epiphanes !  The  same  Greek  countenance, 
the  same  kingly  presence,  the  same  strength  and  heroic  stat- 
ure, and  the  same  despair,  were  before  me  that,  in  the  early 
years  of  my  wo,  I  had  seen  on  the  shores  of  the  Dead  Sea. 

"  I  told  you, "  said  he,  with  a  sudden  return  to  calmness, 
"  that  this  day  would  come ;  and  to  tell  you  so  required  no 
spirit  of  prophecy.  There  is  a  time  for  all  things,  long-suf- 
fering among  the  rest;  and  your  countrymen  had  long  ago 
come  to  that  time.  But  one  grand  hope  was  still  to  be  given ; 
they  cast  it  from  them !  Ages  on  ages  shall  pass  before  they 
learn  the  loftiness  of  that  hope  or  fulfil  the  punishment  of 
that  rejection.  Yet,  in  the  fulness  of  time,  shall  the  light 
break  in  upon  their  darkness.  They  shall  ask,  Why  are  we 
the  despised,  the  branded,  the  trampled,  the  abjured,  of  all 
nations?  Why  are  the  barbarian  and  the  civilized  alike  our 
oppressors?  Why  do  contending  faiths  join  in  crushing  us 
alone?  Why  do  realms,  distant  as  the  ends  of  the  earth,  and 
diverse  as  day  and  night — alike  those  who  have  heard  our 
history,  and  those  who  have  never  heard  of  us  but  as  the  sad 
sojourners  of  the  earth — unite  in  one  cry  of  scorn?  And  what 
is  the  universal  voice  of  nature  but  the  voice  of  the  King  of 
nature?  " 

I  listened  in  reverence  to  language  that  pierced  my  heart 
with  an  intense  power  of  truth,  yet  with  a  pang  that  made  me 
writhe.  I  longed,  yet  dreaded,  to  hear  again  the  searching 
and  lofty  accents  of  this  being  of  unwilling  wisdom. 

"Man  of  terrible  knowledge,"  said  I,  "canst  thou  tell  for 
what  crime  this  judgment  shall  come?  " 

Awe  was  written  upon  his  mighty  brow,  and  his  features 
quivered  as  he  slowly  spoke. 

"Their  crime?     There  is  no  name  for  it.     The  spirits  of 

527 


Cbou  Gill  H  Come 


Ubc  iRoar  of  heaven  weep  when  they  think  of  it.  The  spirits  of  the  abyss 
tremble.  Man  alone,  the  man  of  Judea  alone,  could  commit 
that  horror  of  horrors." 

He  paused  and  prostrated  himself  at  the  words ;  then  rising, 
rapidly  uttered:  "Judge  of  the  crime  by  its  punishment. 
From  the  beginning,  Israel  was  stubborn,  and  his  stubbornness 
brought  him  to  sorrow.  He  rebelled,  and  he  was  warned  by 
the  captivity  of  a  monarch  or  the  slaughter  of  a  tribe.  He 
sinned  more  deeply,  for  he  was  the  slave  of  impurity ;  then 
was  his  kingdom  divided ;  yet  a  few  years  saw  him  powerful 
once  more.  He  sinned  more  deeply  still,  for  he  sought  the 
worship  of  idols.  Then  came  his  deeper  punishment,  in  the 
fall  of  his  throne  and  the  long  captivity  of  his  people.  But 
even  Babylon  sent  back  the  forgiven. 

"  Happy,  I  say  to  you,  happy  will  be  the  hour  for  Israel 
—for  mankind,  for  creation — when  he  shall  take  into  his 
hand  the  records  of  his  fathers,  and,  in  tears,  ask,  What  is 
that  greater  crime  than  rebellion?  than  blasphemy?  than  im- 
purity? than  idolatry?  which,  not  seventy  years,  nor  a  thou- 
sand years,  of  sorrow  have  seen  forgiven;  which  has  pro- 
longed his  wo  into  the  old  age  of  the  world — which  threatens 
him  with  a  chain  not  to  be  broken  but  by  the  thunder-stroke 
that  breaks  up  the  universe !  " 

"And  still,"  said  I,  trembling  before  the  living  oracle, — 
"still  is  there  hope?  " 

"Look  to  that  mountain,"  was  the  answer,  as  he  pointed  to 
Moriah.  Its  side,  covered  with  the  legions  advancing  to  the 
assault,  shone  in  the  sun  like  a  tide  of  burning  brass.  "  It 
is  now  a  sight  of  splendid  evil!  "  exclaimed  he.  "But  upon 
that  mountain  shall  yet  be  enthroned  a  Sovereign  before 
whom  the  sun  shall  hide  his  head,  and  at  the  lifting  of  whose 
scepter  the  heaven  and  the  heaven  of  heavens  shall  bow  down ! 
To  that  mountain  shall  man,  and  more  than  man,  crowd  for 
wisdom  and  happiness.  From  that  mountain  shall  light  flow 
to  the  ends  of  the  universe,  and  the  government  shall  be  the 
Everlasting !  " 

The  roar  of  the  assault  began,  and  my  awful  companion 
was  recalled  to  the  world. 

528 


Destruction  of  Jerusalem 


"I  must  see  the  end  of  this  battle,"  said  he,  in  his  old  i  n  front  of  tbe 
mixture  of  sarcasm  and  melancholy;  "man's  natural  talent     Sanctuarie 
for  making  himself  miserable  may  go  far,  but  he  is  still  the 
better  for  a  teacher.     On  the  top  of  that  hill  there  are  twenty 
thousand  men  panting  for  each  other's  blood  like  tigers;  and 
yet  without  me  they  would  leave  the  grand  business  undone, 
after  all." 

"But  one  Avord  more,"  I  cried,  giving  my  last  look  to  the 
tower  of  Antonia,  on  which  the  eagles  now  glittered. 

He  anticipated  me. 

"  All  are  safe — they  are  in  the  hands  of  Septimius,  who  will 
deal  with  them  in  honor.  He  solicited  the  command,  that  he 
might  provide  for  their  security.  They  comfort  themselves 
with  the  hope  that  you  will  return.  But  return  you  never 
will.  They  will  be  happy  in  the  hope — until  sorrow  is  too 
long  shut  out  to  find  room  when  it  comes ;  they  love  you,  and 
will  love  you  long,  but  there  is  an  end  of  all  things.  And 
now,  farewell !  " 

"And  now,  onward,"  said  I.  "But  every  spot  is  crowded 
with  the  Roman  columns.  How  am  I  to  pass  those  spears?  " 

He  laughed  wildly,  flung  his  arm  round  me,  as  of  old,  and 
ran,  with  the  speed  of  a  stag,  round  the  foot  of  the  hill  to  an 
unobstructed  side.  The  ascent  was  nearly  perpendicular ;  but 
he  bounded  up  the  crags  without  drawing  a  breath,  placed  me 
on  a  battlement,  and  was  gone ! 

Below  me  war  raged  in  its  boundless  fury.  The  enemy  had 
forced  their  way,  and  the  exasperated  Jews,  contemptuous  of 
life,  fought  them  with  the  rage  of  wild  beasts.  When  the 
lance  was  broken,  the  knife  was  the  weapon ;  when  the  knife 
failed,  they  tore  with  their  hands  and  teeth.  Masses  of 
stone,  torches,  even  dead  bodies,  everything  that  could  min- 
ister to  destruction,  were  hurled  from  the  roofs  on  the  assail- 
ants, who  were  often  repulsed  with  deadly  havoc.  But  they 
still  made  way ;  the  courts  of  the  Gentiles,  of  the  Israelites, 
and  of  the  priests  were  successively  stormed ;  and  the  legions 
at  length  established  themselves  in  front  of  the  Sanctuary. 
A  howl  of  wrath,  at  the  possible  profanation  of  the  Holy  of 
Holies,  rose  from  the  multitude.  I  rushed  from  the  battle- 

34  529 


Cbou  Ctll  1  Come 


ment,  and  showing  myself  to  the  people,  demanded  "who 
would  follow  me?  "  The  crowd  exulted  at  the  sight  of  their 
well-known  chieftain ;  and  in  the  impulse  of  the  moment  we 
poured  on  the  enemy,  and  drove  them  from  the  court  of  the 
Sanctuary.  Startled  by  the  sudden  reverse,  the  Roman  gen- 
erals renewed  their  proposal  for  a  surrender,  and  Titus  him- 
self, at  the  most  imminent  hazard,  forced  his  way  to  the 
portal,  and  besought  me  to  surrender  and  save  the  Temple. 

But  Jerusalem  was  marked  for  ruin.  While  I  was  in  the 
very  act  of  checking  the  shower  of  spears,  I  heard  the  voice 
of  one  of  those  extraordinary  beings  who,  by  mad  predictions 
of  the  certain  succor  of  Heaven,  kept  up  the  resistance  while 
there  was  a  man  to  be  slaughtered.  He  was  standing  on  the 
roof  of  a  vast  cloister,  surrounded  by  a  crowd  of  unfortunate 
men,  whom  his  false  prophecies  were  infuriating  against  the 
offer  of  life.  I  recognized  the  impostor,  or  the  demon,  by 
whom  the  Roman  mission  had  been  destroyed.  The  legion- 
aries pointed  in  vain  to  the  flames  already  rising  round  the 
cloisters.  The  predictions  grew  bolder  still,  and  the  words  of 
truth  were  answered  by  showers  of  missiles.  The  flames  sud- 
denly burst  out  through  the  roof,  and  the  whole  of  its  de- 
fenders, to  the  number  of  thousands,  sank  into  the  conflagra- 
tion. When  I  looked  round  after  the  shock,  this  fearful 
being,  without  a  touch  of  fire  on  his  raiment,  was  haranguing 
in  a  distant  quarter,  and  whether  man  or  fiend,  urging  the 
multitude  to  their  fate ! 

This  was  the  day  of  days,  the  ninth  day  of  the  month  Ab, 
the  anniversary  of  the  burning  of  the  Temple  by  the  king  of 
Babylon.  One  thousand  one  hundred  and  thirty  years,  seven 
months,  and  fifteen  days  were  past,  from  its  foundation  by 
our  great  King  Solomon!  My  attack  had  repelled  the  legion- 
aries, and  Titus,  exhausted  and  dispirited,  began  to  withdraw 
the  routed  columns  from  the  front  of  the  Temple.  It  was  the 
fifth  hour ;  the  sun  was  scorching  up  their  strength,  and  I 
looked  proudly  forward  to  victory  and  the  preservation  of  the 
Temple ! 

As  I  was  standing  on  the  portal  of  the  court  of  the  Sanc- 
tuary, and  gazing  at  the  rout  of  the  troops  toward  the  bower 

530 


Destruction  of  Jerusalem 


of  Antonia,  I  heard  a  voice  close  to  my  ear :  "  I  told  you  that  Ubc  fine 
this  day  would  end  in  nothing  Avithout  me."  I  turned,  but  he 
was  already  far  away  among  the  crowd;  and  before  I  could 
even  speak,  I  saw  him,  torch  in  hand,  bound  into  the  Golden 
window,  beside  the  veil  of  the  Holy  Place.  The  inner  Tem- 
ple was  instantly  in  a  blaze.  Our  cries  and  the  sight  of  the 
flames  brought  back  the  enemy  at  full  speed.  I  saw  that 
the  fatal  hour  was  come,  and  collecting  a  few  brave  men, 
took  my  post  before  the  veil,  to  guard  the  entrance  with 
my  blood. 

But  the  legions  rushed  onward,  crying  out  that  "they  were 
led  by  the  Fates, "  and  that  "  the  God  of  the  Jews  had  given 
His  people  and  city  into  their  hands."  The  torrent  was  irre- 
sistible. Titus  rushed  in  at  its  head,  exclaiming,  that  "the 
Divinity  alone  could  have  given  the  stronghold  into  his  power, 
for  it  was  beyond  the  hope  and  strength  of  man."  My  de- 
voted companions  were  torn  down  in  an  instant.  I  was  forced 
back  to  the  veil  of  the  Holy  of  Holies,  righting  at  random  in 
the  midst  of  the  legionaries,  who  now  saw  no  enemies  but 
each  other.  In  the  fury  of  plunder  they  deluged  the  Portico 
and  the  Sanctuary  with  blood. 

The  golden  table  of  Pompey,  the  golden  vine,  the  trophies 
of  Herod,  were  instantly  torn  away.  Subordination  was  lost. 
The  troops  trampled  upon  their  officers.  Titus  himself  was 
saved  only  by  cutting  his  way  through  those  madmen.  But  I 
longed  to  die,  and  give  my  last  breath  and  the  last  drop  of  my 
veins  to  the  seat  of  Sanctity  and  Glory.  I  fought  —I  taunted 
— I  heaped  loud  scorn  on  the  profaners — I  was  covered  from 
head  to  foot  with  gore ;  but  it  was  from  the  hearts  of  Romans 
• — I  toiled  for  death ;  but  I  remained  without  a  wound.  Yet, 
wo  to  the  life  that  came  within  the  sweep  of  my  simitar. 
The  last  blow  that  I  struck  was  at  an  impious  hand,  put  forth 
to  grasp  the  veil  that  shut  the  Holy  of  Holies  from  the  human 
gaze.  The  hand  flew  from  the  body,  and  the  spoiler  fell 
groaning  at  my  feet.  He  sent  up  an  expiring  look,  and  I 
knew  the  countenance  of  my  persecutor,  Cestius ! 

But  a  new  enemy  had  come,  conqueror  alike  of  the  victor 
and  the  vanquished — fire. 56  I  heard  its  roar  round  the  sanc- 

531 


Cbou  GUI  f  Come 


Ubc  tRuin  of  tuaiy.  The  Romans,  appalled,  fled  to  the  portal ;  but  they 
were  doomed.  A  wall  of  fire  stood  before  them.  They 
rushed  back,  tore  down  the  veil,  and  the  Holy  of  Holies 
stood  open.  The  blaze  melted  the  plates  of  the  roof  in  a 
golden  shower  above  me.  It  calcined  the  marble  floor;  it 
dissipated  in  vapor  the  inestimable  gems  that  studded  the 
walls.  All  who  entered  lay  turned  to  ashes.  So  perish  the 
prof aners !  But  on  the  sacred  Ark  the  flame  had  no  power. 
It  whirled  and  swept  in  a  red  orb  round  the  untouched  symbol 
of  the  throne  of  thrones.  Still  I  lived,  but  I  felt  my  strength 
giving  way :  the  heat  withered  my  sinews — the  flame  extin- 
guished my  sight. 

Bleeding,'  blind,  frantic,  I  still  fought  until  I  sank  under  a 
heap  of  dead.  In  defiance  of  all  prediction,  I  now  believed 
my  death  inevitable.  At  once  I  heard  the  shouts  of  the  con- 
querors and  the  fall  of  the  pillars  of  the  Temple.  I  wel- 
comed the  living  grave !  In  all  the  wildness  of  the  uproar  I 
heard  the  voice:  "TARRY  THOU  TILL  I.COMK!"  The  world 
disappeared  from  before  me ! 


Here  I  pause.  I  had  undergone  that  portion  of  my  unhap- 
py career  which  was  to  be  passed  among  my  people.  My  life 
as  father,  husband,  and  citizen  was  at  an  end.  Thenceforth  I 
was  to  be  a  solitary  being. 

My  fate  had  yet  scarcely  fallen  upon  me,  but  I  was  now  to 
feel  it  in  the  disruption  of  every  gentler  tie  that  held  me  to 
life.  I  was  to  make  my  couch  with  the  savage,  the  outcast, 
and  the  slave.  I  was  to  see  the  ruin  of  the  mighty  and  the 
overthrow  of  empires.  Yet  in  the  tumult  that  changed  the 
face  of  the  world,  I  was  still  to  live  and  be  unchanged. 
Every  sterner  passion  that  disturbs  our  nature  was  to  reign  in 
successive  tyranny  over  my  soul.  And  fearfully  was  the  de- 
cree fulfilled. 

In  revenge  for  the  fall  of  Jerusalem,  T  traversed  the  globe 
to  seek  out  an  enemy  of  Rome.  I  found  in  the  northern 
snows  a  man  of  blood;  I  stirred  up  the  so\il  of  Alaric  and  led 
him  to  the  rock  of  Rome.  In  revenge  for  the  insults  heaped 

632 


"  I  heard  the  shouts  of  the  conquerors,  and  the  fall  of  the  pillars 

of  the  Temple." 

[sfe  pagi  sja. 


Cam?  Cbou  gill  f  Come 


of  tuary.     Th» 

sto 

dissipated    if 
walls.     All 
pro 

I  t    'A 

(>!'    t,l 

giving  w 
gui 

I ' 
hea 

my  d<'ath  in 
qnerors 

tin1  1: 


'•  •  •  'f  my  unl 

•     <- 

as  father,  hu 
was  to  be  a  so  nig. 

My  fate  h;i', 
:-"!    it   111    t!>' 
hi'f.      I  was  t 

.  •!     In;     !;i\i-.        ! 

•     •      •, 

i  MT    of    llit-    wori  1    to   live   and   }» 

Every  sterner  j^assioii  that 
-;v«-  tyrann\ 
ullillt'd. 
iv\  •!-..•  for  1 
••         •      ,. 

•    n   aii 

. 


Copyright,  1901,  by  Funk  A  W  agnails-Company,  N.  Y.  and  London. 


Destruction  of  Jerusalem 


on  the  Jew  by  the  dotards  and  dastards  of  the  city  of  Con-  Saiatbid 
star.tine,  I  sought  out  an  instrument  of  compendious  ruin :  I 
found  him  in  the  Arabian  sands,  and  poured  ambition  into  the 
soul  of  the  enthusiast  of  Mecca.  In  revenge  for  the  pollu- 
tion of  the  ruins  of  the  Temple,  I  roused  the  iron  tribes  of 
the  V.est,  and  at  the  head  of  the  crusaders  expelled  the  Sara- 
cens. I  fed  full  on  the  revenge,  and  I  felt  the  misery  of  re- 
venge ! 

A  passion  for  the  mysteries  of  nature  seized  me.  I  toiled 
with  the  alchemist ;  I  wore  away  years  in  perplexities  of  the 
schoolmen ;  and  I  felt  the  guilt  and  emptiness  of  unlawful 
knowledge. 

A  passion  for  human  fame  seized  me.  I  drew  my  sword  in 
the  Italian  wars — triumphed — was  a  monarch — and  learned 
to  curse  the  hour  when  I  first  dreamed  of  fame ! 

A  passion  for  gold  seized  me.  I  felt  the  gnawing  of  avarice 
—the  last  infirmity  of  the  fallen  mind.  Wealth  came,  to  my 
wish  and  to  my  torment.  In  the  midst  of  royal  treasures  I 
was  poorer  than  the  poorest.  Days  and  nights  of  misery  were 
the  gift  of  avarice.  I  felt  within  me  the  undying  worm. 
In  my  passion  I  longed  for  regions  where  the  hand  of  man 
had  never  rifled  the  mine.  I  found  a  bold  Genoese,  and  led 
him  to  the  discovery  of  a  new  world.  With  its  metals  I  in- 
undated the  old,  and  to  my  own  misery  added  the  misery  of 
two  hemispheres ! 

But  the  circle  of  the  passions,  a  circle  of  fire,  was  not  to 
surround  my  fated  steps  forever.  Calmer  and  nobler  aspira- 
tions were  to  rise  in  my  melancholy  heart.  I  saw  the  birth  of 
true  science,  true  liberty,  and  true  wisdom.  I  lived  with 
Petrarch,  among  his  glorious  relics  of  the  genius  of  Greece 
and  Rome.  1  stood  enraptured  beside  the  easel  of  Angelo  and 
Raphael.  I  conversed  with  the  merchant  kings  of  the  Medi- 
terranean. I  stood  at  Mentz  beside  the  wonder-working 
machine  that  makes  knowledge  imperishable  and  sends  it  with 
winged  speed  through  the  earth.  At  the  pulpit  of  the  mighty 
man  of  Wittenberg  I  knelt;  Israelite  as  I  was,  and  am,  I 
did  voluntary  homage  to  the  mind  of  Luther ! 

But  I  must  close  these  thoughts,  as  wandering  as  the  steps 

538 


Ctarrg  Obou  uitl  f  Come 


Ube  future    of  my  pilgrimage.     I  have  more  to  tell — strange,  magnificent, 
and  sad. 

But  I  must  wait  the  impulse  of  my  heart.  Or,  can  the 
happy  and  the  high-born,  treading  upon  roses,  have  an  ear 
for  the  story  of  the  Exile,  whose  path  has  for  a  thousand 
years  been  in  the  brier  and  the  thorn ! 


FINIS 


534 


APPENDIX 


ANNOTATIONS 


1— page  3.  The  legend  of  the  Wandering  Jew  first  appeared  in  the  thirteenth  cen- 
tury, in  the  chronicle  of  Matthew  of  Paris,  who  professes  to  have  received  his  informa- 
tion from  an  Armenian  bishop  to  whom  the  hero  had  himself  communicated  the  events. 
According  to  this  version,  he  was  a  servant  in  the  house  of  Pilate,  named  Cartaphilus, 
and  gave  Christ  a  blow  as  He  was  dragged  out  of  the  palace  to  execution.  Another  and 
perhaps  more  familiar  version,  probably  of  the  fifteenth  century  and  of  German  origin, 
states  that  he  was  a  shoemaker  named  Ahasuerus.  As  Jesus  bore  His  cross  along  the 
via  Morosa,  staggering  with  pain  and  weakness.  He  leaned  for  a  moment  against 
the  doorway  of  the  rude  shopkeeper,  who,  with  cursing  and  bitterness,  ordered  him  to 
"  go  on."  The  sufferer  looked  upon  him  and  said  :  "  I  go,  but  tarry  thou  till  I  come ! " 
From  that  awful  moment  he  found  life  a  burden  and  death  an  impossibility.  From  time 
to  time  he  was  able  to  rejoice  in  gray  hairs  and  a  stooping  form,  but  regularly  these 
indications  of  the  end  would  vanish,  and  clothed  again  in  the  form  of  youth,  he  felt  the 
look  and  heard  in  his  soul  the  dread  voice  bidding  him  wander  on  and  on  forever.  All 
versions  agree  touching  the  verdict  of  Christ,  that  he  should  wander  on  earth  till  the 
Second  Coming. 

In  its  deepest  import,  "  the  tradition  is  simply  a  wonderful  picture  of  a  people— a 
people  forever  suffering  and  yet  undying ;  forever  doomed  to  wander ;  without  a  home 
or  any  fixed  abiding-place :  safe  nowhere,  and  yet  immortal ;  trampled  and  beaten ; 
robbed  and  persecuted,  and  yet,  strangely,  living  and  flourishing  in  spite  of  all.  The 
most  vigorous,  virile,  and  healthful  people  under  the  sun :  the  bravest  and  most  endur- 
ing in  battle  or  siege ;  the  most  patriotic  and  loyal  of  all  peoples,  they  stedfastly, 
through  all  their  wanderings  and  sorrows,  cling  to  a  land  which  is  but  a  memory  or 
a  dream." 

In  this  story.  Dr.  Croly  adds  to  the  typical  traditions,  peculiar  featnres  of  his  own. 
Having  such  a  hold  on  popular  imagination,  the  Wandering  Jew  has  figured  very 
largely  in  fiction,  particularly  in  the  works  of  A.  W.  Schlegel,  Klingemann,  Be"ranger, 
Eugene  Sue,  Hans  Christian  Andersen,  and  others. 

2— page  11.  The  Mount  of  Corruption  lay  to  the  south  of  Jerusalem,  across  the  Valley 
of  Hinnom.  Its  summit  looks  down  upon  the  spot  in  connection  with  which  the  Jew- 
ish ideas  of  the  future  life  of  the  wicked  were  formed.  The  valley,  named,  according 
to  Dean  Stanley,  from  "some  ancient  hero,  the  son  of  Hinnom,"  is  first  mentioned  in 
Joshua  (xv.  8 ;  xviii.  16),  in  marking  out  the  boundary-line  between  Judah  and  Benja- 
min. Solomon  erected  high  places  there  for  Moloch  (1  Kings  xi.  7),  whose  horrid  rites 
were  revived  by  later  idolatrous  kings.  Ahaz  and  Manassah  made  their  children 
"  pass  through  the  fire "  in  this  valley  (2  Kings  xvi.  3 ;  2  Chron.  xxviii.  3 ;  xxxiii.  6) ; 
and  the  fiendish  custom  of  sacrificing  infants  to  the  fire-gods  seems  to  have  been  kept 
up  for  some  time  in  Tophet,  its  southeastern  extremity  (Jer.  vii.  31 ;  2  Kings  xxiii.  10). 
To  put  an  end  to  these  abominations,  Josiah  polluted  the  place  to  render  it  ceremo- 
nially unclean  (2  Kings  xxiii.  10, 13, 14 ;  2  Chron.  xxxiv.  4,  5),  and  it  became  the  com- 
mon cesspool  of  the  city,  and  the  laystall  where  all  the  solid  filth  was  collected. 

3— page  16.  It  is  difficult  to  conceive  of  the  magnificence  and  the  extent  of  the  Tem- 
ple, as  rebuilt  by  Herod,  one  of  the  greatest  royal  builders  that  ever  lived.  Edersheim 
calls  it  "  a  palace,  a  fortress,  a  sanctuary  of  shining  marble  and  glittering  gold."  Of 
it  the  Jewish  tradition  ran :  "  He  that  has  not  seen  the  Temple  of  Herod,  has  never 

537 


kno-.vii  \vhat  beauty  is."  As  the  pilgrim  ascended  the  Mount,  crested  by  that  symmet- 
rically proportioned  building,  which  could  bold  witliiu  its  gigantic  girdle  not  fewer  than 
210,000  persons,  his  wonder  might  well  increase  at  every  step.  The  Mount  itself 
seemed  like  an  island,  abruptly  rising  from  out  deep  valleys,  surrounded  by  a  sea  of 
walls,  palaces,  streets,  and  houses,  and  crowned  by  a  mass  of  snowy  marble  and  glitter- 
ing gold,  rising  terrace  upon  terrace.  Altogether  it  measured  a  square  of  about  one 
thousand  feet. 

4r— page  16.  The  High  Priest  was  Caiaphas,  before  whom  Jesus  had  jugt  been  on  trial. 
The  beginning  of  the  public  ministry  of  Jesus  was  contemporaneous  with  the  accession 
of  Pontius  Pilate  to  the  procuratorship  and  the  appointment  of  Caiaphas  by  Pilate  to  the 
high  priesthood.  Under  the  administration  of  Pilate,  Koman  rule  reached  the  deepest 
depths  in  "  venality,  violence,  robbery,  persecutions,  wanton,  malicious  insults,  judicial 
murders  without  even  the  formality  of  a  legal  process,  and  cruelty."  History  records 
of  Caiaphas  that  he  was  appointed  High  Priest,  not  because  of  his  piety— the  Talmud 
describes  in  terrible  language  the  "  gross  self-indulgence,  violence,  luxury,  and  even 
public  indecency  "  of  the  high  priests  of  that  day— but  because  in  him  was  found  "  a 
sufficiently  submissive  instrument  of  Roman  tyranny."  The  irreverence  here  displayed 
is  the  natural  expression  of  an  utterly  godless  nature,  and  the  supernatural  events  that 
centered  in  that  crucifixion  hour  could  not  have  failed  to  call  forth  such  manifest  feelings 
of  horror. 

5 — page  18.  The  supernatural  events  mentioned  in  the  narrative  are  recorded  by  the 
evangelists,  and  confirmed  by  tradition  and  contemporaneous  history,  as  having  occurred 
in  connection  with  the  Crucifixion— deep  darkness  enveloped  the  earth  from  the  sixth 
hour  to  the  ninth  hour  of  the  day ;  the  veil  of  the  Temple  that  shut  in  the  Holy  of  Holies 
was  rent  from  top  to  bottom  ;  and  a  mighty  earthquake  terrified  the  multitudes.  Lange 
has  well  said :  "  The  moment  when  Christ,  the  creative  Prince,  the  principle  of  life  to 
humanity,  and  the  word,  expires,  convulses  the  whole  physical  world."  Dr.  Philip 
Schaff  has  said  :  "  The  darkness  was  designed  to  exhibit  the  amazement  of  nature,  and 
of  the  God  of  nature,  at  the  wickedness  of  the  Crucifixion  of  Him  who  is  the  light  of  the 
world  and  the  sun  of  righteousness."  The  horror  from  such  dense  darkness  is  brought 
out  powerfully  by  Lord  Byron  in  his  dream  of  "  Darkness."  The  extent  and  character  of 
the  Temple- Veil  will  account  for  the  fact  that  it  produced  so  profound  an  impression 
when  it  was  seen  rent  from  top  to  bottom  and  hanging  in  two  parts  from  its  fastenings 
above  and  at  the  side.  The  Veils  before  the  most  Holy  Place  were  sixty  feet  long,  and 
thirty  wide,  of  the  thickness  of  the  palm  of  the  hand,  and  wrought  in  seventy-two 
squares  joined  together.  They  were  so  heavy  that  it  was  said  that  three  hundred  priests 
were  needed  to  manipulate  them.  The  rending  was  seen  to  be  the  work  of  God's  own 
hand. 

6— page  23.  The  description  of  the  priests  and  their  residences  would  indicate  an  ideal 
condition.  When  the  Israelites  settled  in  Canaan,  Joshua  assigned  to  the  priestly  fam- 
ilies thirteen  cities  of  residence,  with  "  suburbs  "  or  pasture-grounds  for  their  flocks 
(Josh.  xxi.  13-19).  The  Levites  were  scattered  overall  the  country,  but  the  cities  of  the 
priests  were  all  near  Jerusalem  and  embraced  within  the  bounds  of  Judab,  Simeon,  and 
Benjamin.  When  the  priests  were  divided  into  twenty-four  courses,  each  course  offici- 
ated a  week  at  a  time.  The  interval  of  twenty-three  weeks,  between  the  successive 
times  of  service  of  a  course,  was  a  time  for  home  life  and  high-priestly  pursuits.  The 
opportunities  for  leisurely  culture  were  undoubtedly  very  great.  In  addition  to  the 
large  number  residing  at  this  time  in  these  priestly  cities,  who  took  their  turn  in  the 
courses,  there  were  no  less  than  24,000  stationed  permanently  at  Jerusalem,  and  12,000 
at  Jericho ;  so  that  it  was  a  tradition  among  the  Jews  "  that  it  had  never  fallen  to  the 
lot  of  any  priest  to  offer  incense  twice."  Their  proportion  to  the  number  of  the  people 
must,  therefore,  have  been  much  greater  than  that  of  the  clergy  has  ever  been  in  any 
Christian  nation.  Their  leisure  and  opportunities  for  culture,  especially  in  the  Sacred 
Books,  must  have  been  exceptional.  The  number  of  the  priestly  class  was  doubtless 
increased  through  intermarriage  with  the  other  tribes.  Salathiel  was  a  priest,  and 
hence  a  Levite ;  but  he  was  also  connected  with  the  tribe  of  Naphtali,  through  marriage 
of  a  daughter  of  that  tribe ;  so  that  when  consciousness  returned  he  found  himself  being 

538 


Snnotatione 


borne,  not  by  his  priestly  associates  to  the  cities  of  the  priests  about  Jerusalem,  but  by 
his  tribal  kinsmen  to  the  domain  of  Naphtali  under  the  shadows  of  Lebanon. 

7— page  26.  Before  the  Roman  conquest,  the  hatred  of  the  Samaritan  for  the  Jew 
made  Samaria  largely  a  land  of  brigands,  through  which  a  Jew  could  not  safely  travel- 
To  Herod  the  Great  belongs  the  credit  of  breaking  up  this  brigandage,  so  far  as  it  was 
an  organized  system.  Josephus  relates  that  Herod,  after  taking  Sepphoris,  the  metrop- 
olis of  Galilee,  "  hasted  away  to  the  robbers  that  were  in  the  caves,  who  overran  a  great 
part  of  the  country,  and  did  as  great  mischief  to  its  inhabitants  as  war  itself  could  have 
done."  He  defeated  them  with  a  great  slaughter,  and  drove  them  out  of  the  land. 

8— page  28.  The  region  through  which  the  caravan  was  passing  not  only  brought 
them  in  view  of  the  scenes  of  many  of  the  greatest  events  in  Jewish  history,  individual 
and  national  -Mounts  Carmel  and  Gilboa  and  Tabor  and  Hermon,  and  the  theater  of 
patriarchal  and  prophetic  activity— but  across  what  has  been  the  battle-field  for  the 
armies  of  the  world-empires  of  three  continents  as  they  have  crossed  and  recrossed, 
from  the  days  of  Abraham  down  through  the  Crusades.  It  is  aptly  designated  "  a  liv- 
ing history  of  Providence." 

9— page  33.  The  "Haphtorah"  (Isa.  liii.)  contains  the  most  graphic  Old-Testament 
picture  of  Jesus  as  the  rejected,  suffering  atoning  Messiah.  It  was  this  that  the  Ethio- 
pian eunuch  of  Queen  Canduce  was  reading  when  Philip  went  up  to  him  in  his  chariot 
(Acts  viii.  29),  and  by  the  explanation  of  which  he  was  converted  to  the  Christian  faith. 
Through  its  wonderful  picture  Eleazar  seems  already  to  have  been  led  to  look  upon 
Jesus  as  the  Messiah  ;  but  his  hopes,  roused  by  Salathiel's  renunciation  of  the  priest- 
hood, were  dashed  in  finding  that  the  veil  was  still  over  the  face  of  the  latter,  as  it 
was  over  the  many  of  Israel. 

10— page  43.  Jubal  is  a  typical  Israelitish  mountaineer,  hunter,  and  warrior  in  one, 
combining  with  a  sense  of  wild  freedom  a  touch  of  the  ancient  Jewish  enthusiasm. 
The  incident  here  narrated  gives  a  glimpse  of  his  deeper  nature,  and  his  outburst  of 
patriotic  exultation  at  sight  of  the  grave  of  the  hosts  of  Sisera  was  one  in  which  every 
true  Israelite  could  join. 

11— page  47.  The  life  of  a  whole  generation  is  passed  in  inactivity  after  the  home  is 
made  in  Naphtali— an  inactivity  that  served  to  deepen  the  shadow  of  his  doom  and  the 
remorse  for  his  unspeakable  crime.  In  this  period  the  preparation  is  being  made  for  the 
final  conflict  of  Jew  with  Roman  authority,  and  at  the  end  of  it  Salathiel  is  thrust,  by  a 
malevolent  power,  into  the  leadership  in  that  desperate  flrst  struggle,  described  by  Jose- 
phus, that  promised  to  sweep  the  Romans  from  Judea.  His  fate,  however,  pursues  him, 
and  he  languishes  for  years  in  a  dungeon— leaving  the  Jews,  now  without  competent 
leadership,  again  under  Roman  control  and  oppression. 

12— page  51.  Antiochus  IV.,  king  of  Syria— theson  of  Antiochus  the  Great— known  in 
history  as  Epiphanes  the  Illustrious,  but  to  many  of  his  contemporaries  as  Epimanes  the 
Madman— was  for  ages  the  chief  name  of  horror  to  the  Jews.  His  father  had  conquered 
Palestine,  B.C.  208,  and  his  brother  and  predecessor,  Saleucus  Philopator,  had  plundered 
the  Temple,  and  Syria  had  disputed  the  control  of  the  land  with  Egypt.  Epiphanes  con- 
quered Jerusalem,  B.C.  109,  and  held  it  for  three  years  and  a  half.  The  obstinate  resist- 
ance of  the  Jews  led  to  the  most  dreadful  deeds  of  cruelty  recorded  in  history.  Those 
who  adhered  to  Ptolemy  were  mercilessly  butchered.  He  plundered  the  city  and  the 
Temple.  He  forbade  the  Jewish  religion,  tore  up  and  burned  the  Sacred  Scriptures,  put 
a  stop  to  the  daily  Sacrifice  of  expiation,  and  dedicated  the  Temple  to  Zeus  Olympics. 
He  compelled  the  people  to  keep  their  infants  uncircumcised,  and  to  sacrifice  swine's 
flesh  upon  the  altar.  Kurtz  says :  "  This  was  the  abomination  of  desolation  in  the  Holy 
Place,  spokenf/Df  by  Daniel  (ch.  xi.  31) — a  type  of  another  desolation  that  still  belonged 
to  the  future  (Matt.  xxiv.  15)"— before  the  Second  Coming  of  Christ.  Added  to  all  the 
rest,  his  system  of  unspeakable  barbarities  and  horrible  tortures  at  length  drove  the 
people  to  desperation,  and  led  to  the  successful  uprising  and  heroic  struggle  for  free- 
dom under  Judas  the  Maccabee— truly  God's  hammer -and  his  brothers  (recorded  in  the 

539 


BppcntHi 


Apocrpyhal  books  l>earing  that  name).    Help  in  understanding  the  Jewish  feeling  toward 
Antiochus  may  be  found  in  Josephus,  Prideaux,  Edersheim,  etc. 

13— page  61.  Eleazar,  as  he  appears  in  the  narrative,  is  not  the  real  name  of  a  his- 
toric leader  of  the  Jews  at  this  time.  Josephus,  indeed,  speaks  of  a  certain  Jew  "  who 
was  called  Eleazar,  and  was  born  at  Saab,  in  Galilee.  This  man  took  up  a  stone  of  great 
size,  and  threw  it  down  from  the  wall  upon  the  ram,  and  this  with  so  great  a  force  that 
it  broke  off  the  head  of  the  engine.  He  also  leaped  down  and  took  up  the  head  of  the 
ram  from  the  midst  of  them,  and,  without  any  concern,  carried  it  to  the  top  of  the  wall, 
and  this,  while  he  stood  as  a  (It  mark  to  be  pelted  by  all  his  enemies."  Disregarding 
his  many  wounds,  he  showed  himself  a  hero  in  other  daring  exploits,  like  some  of  those 
attributed  by  the  author  to  Salathiel. 

Josephus  tells  also  of  another  Eleazar,  who,  at  the  time  when  the  Jews  took  the  fort- 
ress of  Masada  by  treachery,  was  the  governor  of  the  Temple.  He  was  the  son  of  Ana- 
nias, the  High  Priest,  and  was  a  very  bold  youth.  He  "persuaded  those  that  officiated 
in  the  divine  service  to  receive  no  gift  or  sacrifice  from  any  foreigner.  And  this,"  adds 
Josephus,  "  was  the  true  beginning  of  our  war  with  the  Romans ;  for  they  rejected 
the  sacrifice  of  Caesar  on  this  account." 

The  real  leader  in  this  early  Jewish  war  was,  however,  Flavius  Josephus,  the  historian. 
After  the  destruction  of  the  army  of  Cestius  Gallus  in  A.D.  66,  the  patriots  precipitated 
a  revolution,  and  Josephus  was  sent  to  organize  the  defense  of  Galilee.  He  led  in  the 
desperate  struggle  against  Vespasian,  but  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Romans  after  the 
fall  of  the  stronghold  of  Jotapata  and  the  subsequent  massacre  there.  He  saved  himself 
by  predicting  the  future  elevation  of  Vespasian  to  the  imperial  throne.  He  was  present 
In  the  Roman  army  at  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  and  accompanied  Titus  to  Rome, 
where  he  resided  for  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  was  a  great  leader,  and  Salathiel  in  his 
exploits  often  seems  to  personate  him. 

14— page  64.  Onias  is  not  brought  forward  as  a  historical  character,  but  as  the  repre- 
sentative of  a  class  of  Jews  who  were  equally  treacherous  in  their  dealings  with  their 
patriotic  countrymen  and  with  the  Romans.  He  appears  as  one  of  the  marplots  of  the 
history— the  personification  of  hatred  and  malice — from  this  council  of  war  until  the  final 
catastrophe,  when  he  dies  by  the  hand  of  Jubal.  The  speech  which  the  writer  puts  in 
his  mouth  was,  however,  undoubtedly  suggested  by  the  remarkable  oration,  recorded  by 
Josephus  (Bk.  II.,  ch.  xvi.),  which  Agrippa  (the  same  mentioned  in  the  Acts)  addressed  to 
the  Jews,  In  the  gallery  adjoining  the  Temple  and  in  the  presence  of  his  sister  Bernice, 
who  was  above  in  the  palace  of  the  Asmoneans,  and  in  which  he  sought  to  dissuade  the 
people  from  going  to  war  with  their  oppressors.  In  this  speech  of  Agrippa  we  have 
"an  authentic  account  of  the  extent  and  strength  of  the  Roman  empire  when  the  Jew- 
ish war  began,"  from  which  becomes  the  more  apparent  the  madness  that  hurried  the 
Jews  to  their  final  destruction. 

15— page  70.  In  these  foreglimpses  of  national  doom,  the  representative  character  of 
Salathiel  is  brought  out  and  the  sense  of  bis  own  personal  doom,  as  the  arch-crucifler 
of  Jesus,  deepened. 

16 — page  72.  It  has  often  been  remarked  that  the  selection  of  Judea  as  the  home  of 
the  chosen  people  bears  the  marks  of  divine  wisdom.  At  the  point  where  the  three 
continents  of  the  ancient  world  meet,  surrounded  by  desert,  mountain,  and  sea, 
broken  by  rugged  ranges  and  defiles  impassable  in  the  face  of  even  a  small  opposing 
force,  and  filled  with  a  dense  population,  it  was  not  only  unique  in  character  but 
Impregnable  to  foreign  foe  so  long  as  Israel  remained  faithful  to  its  covenant  with 
Jehovah.  When  the  barriers,  which  at  first  excluded  the  people  from  the  outside  world 
in  their  earlier  development,  were  broken  down,  it  became  the  one  place  from  which 
all  the  world  was  most  accessible  for  the  spread  of  the  Hebrew  Theism  and  of  Chris- 
tianity. 

17— page  74.  The  Year  of  Jubilee,  recurring  every  fiftieth  year,  was  a  remarkable 
feature  of  the  Jewish  system.  It  was  inaugurated  on  the  Day  of  Atonement  with  the 
blowing  of  trumpets  throughout  the  land,  and  by  a  proclamation  of  universal  liberty. 
Its  main  provisions  were :  (1)  The  soil  was  left  uncultivated  and  the  chance  produce 

540 


annotations 


was  free  to  all  comers.  (2)  Every  Israelite  recovered  his  right  to  the  land  originally 
allotted  to  the  family  to  which  he  belonged,  if  he,  or  his  ancestor,  had  parted  with  it. 
Houses  in  walled  cities  were  an  exception,  altho  these  were  redeemable  at  any  time 
within  a  full  year  of  the  time  of  sale.  (3)  All  Israelites  who  had  become  slaves,  either 
to  their  own  countrymen  or  to  resident  foreigners,  were  set  free  in  the  Jubilee. 
Josephus  states  that  in  his  time  all  debts  were  remitted  in  the  Year  of  Jubilee.  It 
was  a  wonderful  provision  for  preventing  the  accumulation  of  inordinate  wealth  in  the 
hands  of  the  few,  and  for  relieving  and  giving  new  opportunity  to  those  whom  misfor- 
tune or  fault  hail  reduced  to  poverty.  (See  Smith's  Bible  Dictionary.,) 

18— page  75.  Small  as  was  Judea— no  larger  than  one  of  our  smaller  States— it  yet  has 
the  distinction  of  embracing  within  its  bounds  the  temperatures  and  productions  of  all 
climes.  Notwithstanding  the  covenant  unfaithfulness  of  its  people  and  their  failure  in 
obedience  to  Jehovah,  it  is  still  true  that  it  bequeathed  to  mankind  all  the  forms  of  Theism 
—Judaism,  Christianity,  and  Mohammedanism—and  with  and  through  them  the  chief 
enlightening  and  power-giving  influences  since  operative  among  the  nations.  It  is  not, 
then,  too  much  to  say  that,  with  faithfulness  to  God  and  to  its  unequaled  privileges, 
"  Judea  might  have  changed  the  earth  into  a  paradise." 

19— page  79.  The  elevation  of  Salathiel  to  the  leadership,  as  the  Prince  of  Naphtali, 
in  the  war  now  decided  upon,  seems  contrary  to  the  natural  order,  as  he  was  a  priest 
and  allied  to  the  tribe  of  Naphtali  by  marriage  merely :  but  the  plea  that  it  was  a  holy 
war  prevailed,  and  the  superhuman  qualities  that  had  been  manifested  in  him  clearly 
marked  him  for  the  position.  The  exaltation  and  exultation  were  to  be  simply  the 
prelude  to  a  sharp  recall  to  a  deeper  sense  of  the  curse  that  was  upon  him,  and  upon 
all  else  because  of  his  crime. 

20— page  84.  The  blow  was  a  critical  one  for  Judea,  depriving  it  of  its  leader  at  the 
moment  when  that  leader  was  most  needed.  It  likewise  dashed  the  high  hopes  of  the 
leader  and  left  him  a  madman,  a  prey  to  the  wildest  imagination  that  swept  him 
through  earth  and  sky,  leaving  him  at  last,  for  periods  beyond  all  counting,  the  sleep- 
less, conscious,  vivid  victim  of  misery  unspeakable. 

21— page  93.  The  grove  known  as  the  Cedars  of  Lebanon  consists  of  about  400  trees, 
standing  in  a  depression  of  the  mountain,  quite  apart  from  all  other  trees.  The  trees  are 
about  6,500  feet  above  the  sea,  and  3,000  below  the  summit.  •  About  37  of  these  are  large 
and  old,  the  11  or  12  older  ones  being  of  immense  size  and  each  spreading  itself  widely 
round  from  several  trunks,  and  reaching  back  in  time  3,500  and  more  years— beyond 
Solomon  and  Abraham.  They  are  naturally  looked  upon  with  much  reverence  by  the 
natives  of  the  region  as  living  records  of  the  glory  of  Solomon.  The  Maronite  patriarch 
was  formerly  accustomed  to  celebrate  there  the  festival  of  the  Transfiguration  at  an 
altar  of  rough  stones.  In  later  years  a  chapel  has  been  erected  on  the  spot.  The  refer- 
ences of  the  author  are  to  an  earlier,  and  usually  idolatrous,  worship.  Bands  of  robbers, 
such  as  that  described,  naturally  sought  the  vicinity  of  such  gatherings. 

22— page  97.  The  worship  of  the  robbers  at  Lebanon  illustrates  the  ease  with  which 
the  Oriental  mind  conjoins  religion  with  any  form  of  villainy,  'fhis,  however,  is  likely 
to  be  a  feature  of  any  religion  that  is  a  mere  superstition. 

23— page  103.  These  Greek  Christian  hermits,  dwelling  apart,  from  men  in  their 
rocky  cavern,  are  a  fair  type  of  thousands  of  such  bands,  driven  by  the  terrible  persecu- 
tions of  the  Roman  Emperor  to  take  refuge  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth.  They  were  often 
made  up  of  the  noblest  and  best  of  souls  that  most  readily  responded  to  the  call  and  the 
ideal  of  Christianity.  A  similar  state  continued  during  much  of  the  time  until,  in  the 
age  of  Constantino,  the  Christians  became  so  numerous  as  to  be  able  to  change  from  a 
policy  of  inaction  to  one  of  aggressive  self-defense. 

24 — page  113.  History  records  the  facts  of  Roman  corruption  and  degeneracy  during 
this  period.  During  the  absence  of  Salathiel,  the  oppression  and  extortion  had  mad- 
dened the  Jews  and  reached  a  point  beyond  endurance.  There  resulted  a  succession  of 
partial  and  premature  uprisings.  The  empire  everywhere  seemed  falling  into  decay, 

541 


Bppen&fj 


and  preparing  for  dissolution ;  the  evils  and  the  evil  line  of  rulers  culminated  in  the 
administration  of  Gessius  Florus. 

25— page  133.  It  was  Gessius.  Florus  who,  by  his  barbarity  in  governing,  finally  forced 
the  Jews  into  war.  Josephus,  contrasting  him  with  Albinus,  pictures  Klorus  as  a  human 
monster:  "Altho  such  was  the  character  of  Albinus,  yet  did  Gessius  Klnrus,  who 

succeeded  him,  demonstrate  him  to  have  been  a  most  excellent  person,  u\»m  the  < i- 

parison;  for  the  former  did  the  greatest  part  of  his  rogueries  in  private,  and  with  a 
sort  of  dissimulation  ;  but  Gessius  did  his  unjust  actions  to  the  harm  of  the  nation  after 
a  pompous  manner ;  and  as  tho  he  had  been  sent  as  an  executioner  to  punish  con- 
demned malefactors,  he  omitted  no  sort  of  rapine,  or  of  vexation  :  where  the  case  was 
really  pitiable  he  was  most  barbarous,  and  in  things  of  the  greatest  turpitude  he  was 
most  impudent.  Nor  could  any  one  outdo  him  in  disguising  the  truth,  nor  could  any  one 
contrive  more  subtle  ways  of  deceit  than  he  did.  He  indeed  thought  it  but  a  petty 
offense  to  get  money  out  of  simple  persons ;  so  he  spoiled  whole  cities  and  ruined  entire 
bodies  of  men  at  once,  and  did  almost  publicly  proclaim  it  all  the  country  over  that  they 
had  liberty  given  them  to  turn  robbers,  upon  this  condition  :  that  he  might  go  shares 
with  them  in  the  spoils  they  got.  Accordingly,  this,  his  greediness  of  gain,  was  the 
occasion  that  entire  toparchies  were  brought  to  desolation,  and  a  great  many  of  the 
people  left  their  own  country  and  fled  into  foreign  provinces." 

26— page  145.  In  the  Prophet  Daniel's  vision  the  Roman  world-empire  was  repre- 
sented by  iron,  which  dashed  and  broke  in  pieces  all  else.  It  is  the  wont  to  say  that 
Rome  had  a  genius  for  conquest  and  empire.  Among  the  nations  she  represented 
power  and  law,  as  Greece  represented  culture  and  Judea  religion.  The  Roman  was 
lacking  in  the  culture  and  religion  needed  to  refine  and  control  his  rugged  nature  ;  hence, 
his  drift  toward  the  animal  and  brutal,  and  toward  the  outward  show  of  life.  Corrup- 
tion was  already  far  on  its  way,  and  was  only  delayed  for  a  tune  by  the  spread  and 
prevalence  of  the  Christian  faith. 

27— page  147.  Nero  was  Emperor  from  A.D.  54  to  A.D.  68.  He  was  a  nephew  of 
Caligula,  and  was  adopted  by  Claudius  in  A.D.  50.  Even  his  own  age,  which  had  borne 
and  nurtured  him,  regarded  him  in  his  later  career  a  monster.  He  killed  those  whom 
he  feared,  among  them  his  own  mother  and  Britannicus,  the  son  of  Claudius,  and  right- 
ful heir  to  the  throne ;  those  who  stood  in  the  way  of  his  whims,  as  his  first  two  wives, 
Octavia  and  Poppaea  Sabina;  and  at  last  he  killed  everybody  who  attracted  his  attention. 
Under  him  occurred  the  insurrection  of  the  Jews,  put  down  by  Vespasian,  in  which 
Josephus  so  ably  led  his  countrymen.  The  conflagration  in  July,  64,  in  which  two-thirds 
of  Rome  was  destroyed,  is  believed  to  have  been  the  work  of  Nero,  who  is  said  to  have 
shown  his  indifference  by  playing  the  "Siege  of  Troy"  on  his  fiddle  while  watching  the 
flames  from  a  high  tower  in  his  palace.  He  wantonly  accused  the  Christians  of  set  tins: 
it  on  flre,  and  sentenced  them  to  be  clad  in  tarred  garments,  set  on  fire,  and  driven  as 
flaming  torches  through  the  streets  of  Rome.  A  conspiracy  formed  against  him  in  A.D. 
65  failed,  and  he  sacrificed  his  old  instructor,  Seneca,  and  the  philosopher's  nephew, 
the  poet  Lucan,  the  author  of  "  Pharsalia  " ;  but  one  formed  in  A.D.  68,  extending  over 
Gaul,  Spain,  and  Home  itself,  overwhelmed  the  tyrant  on  his  return  from  a  journey  in 
Greece,  where  he  had  appeared  as  a  singer  on  the  stage,  and  drove  him  to  despair  and 
to  suicide  in  June  of  that  year. 

28— page  149.  "  Married,  but  not  mated,"  could  not  have  been  said  of  Nero,  at  least 
in  the  later  years  of  his  life.  He  had  early  married  Octavia,  the  daughter  of  Claudius, 
his  adopted  father;  but  afterward  became  enslaved  by  the  charms  of  a  mistress,  Arte. 
a  beautiful  freedwoman,  who  was  content  to  be  merely  the  Emperor's  plaything.  In 
the  year  58,  Poppaea  Sabina  took  the  place  of  Acte.  The  new  favorite  was  not  satislled. 
however,  to  be  merely  the  plaything  of  Nero ;  she  was  resolved  to  be  his  wife.  With 
consummate  skill  she  set  herself  at  once  to  remove  the  obstacles  that  stood  in  her  way. 
By  playing  upon  the  passions  and  fears  of  Nero  she  accomplished  her  diabolical  pur- 
poses. She  wrought  him  up  to  a  passion  of  hatred  against  Agrippina,  his  mother,  and 
she  was  murdered.  The  trusted  advisers  of  the  Emperor  were  one  by  one  made  way 
with.  Octavia,  his  wife,  daughter  of  Claudius,  now  long  neglected,  was  divorced,  ban- 
ished, and  barbarously  murdered.  Poppaea's  triumph  was  now  complete.  "  She  was 

543 


annotations 


formally  married  to  Nero ;  her  head  appeared  on  the  coins  side  by  side  with  his ;  and 
her  statue  appeared  in  the  public  places  of  Rome."  Her  career  shows  her  to  have  been 
anything  but  a  "dove  in  a  vulture's  talons."  Poppsea  died  in  the  autumn  of  the  year 
65,  just  after  the  great  conflagration,  and  a  little  before  the  great  pestilence  consequent 
upon  it. 

29— page  160.  The  dying  appeal  of  the  martyr  St.  Paul  whose  name  is  not  mentioned 
—is  depicted  with  a  delicacy  rarely  if  ever  seen  in  the  present-day  handling  of  sacred 
subjects  in  secular  romances. 

30— page  173.  The  account  given  by  the  historian  Tacitus,  in  his  "  Annals,"  of  the 
origin  of  the  Christians,  of  their  persecution,  and  of  the  satiating  of  the  popular  rage,  is 
of  peculiar  interest  as  illustrating  this  narrative.  Of  the  Christians,  Tacitus  says : 

"This  name  was  derived  from  one  'Christus,'  who  was  executed  in  the  reign  of 
Tiberius  by  the  procurator  of  Judea,  Pontius  Pilate  ;  and  this  accursed  superstition,  for 
a  moment  repressed,  broke  forth  again,  not  only  through  Judea,  the  source  of  evil,  but 
even  through  the  city,  whither  all  things  outtageous  and  shameful  flov  together  and 
find  many  adherents.  Accordingly  those  were  first  arrested  who  confessed,  afterward 
a  vast  number  upon  their  information,  who  were  convicted,  not  so  much  on  the  charge 
of  causing  the  fire,  as  for  their  hatred  to  the  human  race.  To  their  execution  there 
were  added  such  mockeries  as  that  they  were  wrapped  in  the  skins  of  wild  beasts  and 
torn  in  pieces  by  dogs,  or  crucified,  or  set  on  Ore  and  burnt,  when  daylight  ended,  as 
torches  by  night  Nero  lent  his  own  gardens  for  the  spectacle,  and  gave  a  chariot  race, 
at  which  he  mingled  freely  with  the  multitude  in  the  garb  of  a  driver  or  mounted  on 
his  chariot.  As  the  result  of  all,  a  feeling  of  compassion  arose  for  the  sufferers,  tho 
guilty  and  deserving  of  condign  punishment,  on  the  ground  that  they  were  destroyed 
not  for  the  common  good,  but  to  gratify  the  cruelty  of  one  man." 

31— page  187.  "  Unconquerable  fortresses  "  proclaimed  the  name  and  sway  of  Herod 
the  Great.  Among  these  were  Essebonitis  and  Machserus  in  Peraea,  and  Alexandreian, 
Herodion,  Hyrcania,  and  Masada  in  Southeastern  Judea,  near  the  shore  of  the  Dead 
Sea.  According  to  the  description  of  Masada  by  Josephus : 

"  There  was  a  rock  not  small  in  circumference,  and  very  high.  It  was  encompassed 
with  valleys  of  such  vast  depth  downward  that  the  eye  could  not  reach  their  bottoms ; 
they  were  abrupt,  and  such  as  no  animal  could  walk  upon,  excepting  at  two  places  of 
the  rock,  where  it  subsides,  in  order  to  afford  a  passage  for  ascent,  tho  not  without 
difficulty.  Now,  of  the  ways  that  lead  to  it,  one  is  that  from  the  Lake  Asphaltitis, 
toward  the  sunrising,  and  another  on  the  west,  where  the  ascent  is  easier ;  the  one  of 
these  ways  called  the  Serpent,  as  resembling  that  animal  in  its  narrowness  and  its  per- 
petual windings :  for  it  is  broken  off  at  the  prominent  precipice  of  the  rock,  and  returns 
frequently  into  itself,  and  lengthening  again  by  little  and  little,  hath  much  ado  to 
proceed  forward :  and  he  that  would  walk  along  it  must  first  go  on  one  leg,  and  then  on 
the  other;  there  is  also  nothing  but  destruction  in  case  your  feet  slip ;  for  on  each  side 
there  is  a  vastly  deep  chasm  and  precipice,  sufficient  to  quell  the  courage  of  everybody 
by  the  terror  it  infuses  into  the  mind.  When,  therefore,  a  man  had  gone  along  this 
way  for  thirty  furlongs,  the  rest  is  the  top  of  the  hill,  not  ending  at  a  small  point,  but  is 
no  other  than  a  plain  upon  the  highest  part  of  the  mountain.  Upon  this  top  of  the  hill, 
Jonathan,  the  High  Priest,  first  of  all  built  a  fortress  and  called  it  Masada ;  after  which 
the  rebuilding  of  this  place  employed  the  care  of  King  Herod  to  a  great  degree." 

32— page  233.  It  was  in  Masada  that  Herod  the  Great,  when  he  fled  to  Rome  to  appeal 
to  Antony,  had  left  his  mother,  sister,  and  children.  In  later  years,  after  he  had  been 
established  in  the  kingdom  by  order  of  Rome,  he  rebuilt,  strengthened,  and  beautified 
the  fortress.  Soon  after  Floras,  by  his  extortion  and  cruelty,  had  driven  the  Jews  to 
rebellion,  history  records  that  Masada  was  taken  by  surprise,  and  the  Roman  garrison 
put  to  the  sword.  This  is  the  historical  basis  of  this  chapter  of  the  story. 

33— page  247.  Josephus  follows  his  description  of  the  fortress  of  Masada  by  an 
account  of  Herod's  palace,  that  justifies  the  description  here  given,  and  reveals  the 
motive  of  the  king  in  its  construction : 

"  Moreover,  he  built  a  palace  therein  at  the  western  ascent ;  it  was  within  and  beneath 
the  walls  of  the  citadel,  but  inclined  to  its  north  side.  Now  the  wall  of  this  palace  was 
very  high  and  strong,  and  h<»d  at  its  four  corners  towers  sixty  cubits  high.  The  furniture, 
also,  of  the  edifices,  and  of  the  cloisters,  and  of  the  baths,  was  of  great  variety  and  was 
very  costly ;  and  these  buildings  were  supported  by  pillars  of  single  stones  on  every  side ; 

543 


SppenDtj 


the  walls  also,  and  the  floors  of  the  edifices  were  paved  with  stones  of  several  colors. . . . 
As  for  the  furniture  that  was  within  this  fortress,  it  was  still  more  .wonderful,  on 
acci Hint  of  its  splendor  and  long  continuance.  .  .  .  There  was  also  found  here  a  large 
Quantity  of  all  sorts  of  weapons  of  war,  which  had  been  treasured  up  by  that  king,  and 


were  sufficient  for  t<>n  thousand  men;  then- were  ca>t-ir 


show  that  he  had  taken  inn 
si^ns  ;  for  the  report  K<»'S.  1 
a  refuse  against  two  kinds 
lest  they  should  depose  hil 
other  danger  was  greater 


1 1  pains  to  have  all  ihinir- 
>w  Herod  tlius  prepared  this  f 
if  danger:  the  one  for  fear  < 
i,  and  restore  their  former  k 
ml  more  terrible,  which  aros 


Kgypt,  who  did  not  conceal  her  intentions,  but  spake  oft< 
to  cut  off  Herod,  and  entreated  him  to  bestow  the 


n,  and  brass,  and  tin  :  which 
•  ready  for  the  greatest  ocea- 
on  his  own  account,  as 
f  the  multitude  of  the  Jews, 
ngs  to  the  government  :  the 
from   Cleopatra,  queen   of 
i  to  Antony,  and  desired  him 
if  Judea  upon  her.    And 


certainly  it  is  a  great  wonder  that  Antony  did  never  comply  with  her  commands  in  this 
point,  as  he  was  so  miserably  enslaved  to  his  passion  for  her;  nor  should  any  one  have 
been  surprised  if  she  had  been  gratified  in  such  her  request.  So  the  fear  of  these 
dangers  made  Herod  rebuild  Masada,  and  thereby  leave  it  for  the  finishing  stroke  of 
the  Romans  in  this  Jewish  war." 

34 — page  253.  The  record  of  history  at  the  basis  of  this  part  of  the  narrative  is,  that 
immediately  after  the  capture  of  Masada,  "  Manahem— a  younger  son  of  the  celebrated 
Judas  of  Galilee,  who  had  perished  in  a  revolt  soon  after  the  exile  of  Archelaus,  leaving 
to  a  powerful  party  the  watchword,  '  We  have  no  king  but  God/ -proclaimed  himself 
the  leader  of  the  zealots  and  marched  upon  Jerusalem.  The  outworks  of  the  palace 
were  mined  and  burned,  and  the  garrison  capitulated.  The  Jews  and  the  troops  of 
Agrippa  were  allowed  to  depart;  the  Roman  soldiers  retired  to  the  three  strong  towers 
built  by  Herod,  and  all  left  in  the  palace  were  put  to  death.  The  success  was  followed 
by  the  execution  of  the  High  Priest  Ananias  and  his  brother,  who  were  found  hidden 
in  an  aqueduct ;  but  these  and  other  excesses  displeased  the  people  ;  and  when  Manahem 
proceeded  to  assume  the  royal  diadem,  he  was  put  to  death  by  the  partisans  of  Eleazar. 
In  him  the  insurgents  lost  the  only  hope  of  a  competent  leader.  The  Roman  soldiers  in 
the  towers  were  soon  compelled  to  surrender  on  promise  of  their  lives ;  but  they  had  no 
sooner  piled  their  arms  than  they  were  cut  to  pieces.  This  baptism  of  blood,  by  which 
the  zealots  committed  themselves  to  a  war  of  extermination,  which  they  at  the  same 
time  deprived  of  the  dignity  of  a  patriotic  straggle,  was  perpetrated  on  a  Sabbath ;  and 
on  the  same  day  the  Jews  of  Caesarea  were  massacred  by  the  Greeks  to  the  number  of 
20,000.  These  deeds  mark  the  character  of  the  conflict,  not  only  as  an  insurrection  of 
Judea  against  the  Romans,  but  as  an  internecine  struggle  of  the  Jewish  and  Greek 
races  in  Palestine  and  the  neighboring  lands."— Philip  Smith,  "  History  of  the  World." 

35 — page  254.  These  Mosaic  regulations  for  exemption  from  war  are  found  in 
Deut.  xx.  They  are  unique  and  peculiar  to  the  Jewish  code. 

36— page  263.  The  historian  records  that  the  capture  of  Jerusalem  brought  down  the 
Romans  upon  the  insurgents : 

"Cestius  Gallus,  the  governor  of  Syria,  set  his  forces  in  motion,  with  the  forces  of 
Agrippa,  who  had  now  openly  taken  the  Roman  side,  and  other  allies,  added  to  his 
Roman  legions.  He  advanced  upon  Jerusalem  through  the  pass  of  Bethhoron,  at  the 
season  of  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles,  A.D.  66,  with  an  army  of  25,000  men.  Regardless 
alike  of  the  feast  and  of  the  Sabbath,  the  Jews  rushed  out  to  meet  the  enemy  on  the  spot 
consecrated  by  the  victories  of  Joshua  and  Judas  Maccabeus ;  crushed  the  Roman  van 
with  the  slaughter  of  more  than  500  men.  and  with  a  loss  of  only  22.  A  charge 
of  light  troops  on  the  Jewish  rear  saved  the  army  of  Cestius  from  destruction,  and  gave 
him  time  to  entrench  his  camp,  and  the  Jews  were  obliged  to  retire  to  Jerusalem." 
Cestius  then  advanced  and  encamped  at  Scopus,  a  mile  to  the  north  of  the  city.  After 
five  days  of  irregular  attacks,  he  advanced  against  the  northern  wall  of  the  Temple  and 
began  the  work  of  mining;  but,  notwithstanding  encouragements  from  the  factions  in 
the  city,  he  suddenly  and  unaccountably  withdrew,  and,  after  a  night's  rest  on  Scopus, 
"commenced  his  retreat  with  the  hostile  population  gathering  round  him  at  every  step, 
and  reached  Gabas  with  loss.  Here  the  beasts  of  burden  were  killed  and  the  baggage 
abandoned.  As  soon  as  the  Romans  had  entered  the  pass  of  Bethhoron.  they  were 
assailed  in  flank  and  rear  and  the  passage  blocked  in  front.  Night  alone  saved  them 
from  utter  destruction  ;  and  Cestius,  displaying  the  standards  and  leaving  400  men,  to 
make  a  show  of  defending  the  empty  camp,  fled  with  the  remnant  of  his  army,  pursued 
by  the  Jews  as  far  as  Antipatris.  He  lost  5,:)00  foot  and  380  horses ;  and  the  engines  of 
war,  which  be  had  carried  up  for  the  siege  of  Jerusalem,  became  an  invaluable  help  to 

544 


annotations 


its  defense.  Having  secured  this  prize,  and  collected  the  immense  booty,  the  Jews 
returned  to  the  city  with  hymns  of  triumph,  fancying  that  the  days  of  the  Maccabees 
had  returned,  and'forgetting  that  the  power  they  had  defied  wielded  the  resources  of 
the  whole  civilized  world,  while  they  had  forfeited  the  aid  of  Omnipotence."— Philip 
Smith. 

37— page  276.  It  was  during  this  interval,  in  which  the  Jews  were  without  compe- 
tent leadership,  that  the  Romans  made  and  carried  forward  their  plans  for  conquering 
Judea.  The  news  of  the  revolt  and  the  defeat  of  Cestius  reached  Nero  when  he  was  on 
his  theatrical  tour  of  Greece.  He  at  once  entrusted  Vespasian  (afterward  Emperor) 
with  the  command  of  all  the  forces  of  Syria  and  the  East.  Vespasian  immediately  "  sent 
his  son  Titus  to  Alexandria,  to  lead  the  fifteenth  legion  into  Palestine,  while  he  hastened 
through  Asia  Minor  and  Syria,  collecting  troops  and  engines  as  he  advanced.  In  the 
spring  of  the  following  year,  three  legions,  with  a  large  force  of  allies,  were  assembled 
at  Ptolemais  (Acre).  The  sense  of  being  committed  to  so  great  a  conflict,  and  the  six- 
months'  interval  for  preparation,  had  restored  some  order  among  the  still  divided  Jews. 
The  avowed  friends  of  Rome  had  either  taken  refuge  with  her  armies  or  been  com- 
pelled to  join  the  insurgents."  So  writes  the  historian.  In  the  interval  the  moderate 
party,  who  would  have  been  content  to  acknowledge  the  supremacy  of  Rome  if  their 
liberties  were  secured,  had,  by  their  numbers  and  character,  obtained  the  ascendency 
over  the  zealots. 

38 — page  280.  Jubal  appears  in  this  strange  manner,  after  two  years  had  been  passed 
in  the  dungeon,  and  rehearses  the  story  of  the  war.  The  attack  of  Vespasian  fell  first 
upon  Galilee,  which  lay  in  his  way  to  Jerusalem.  The  moderate  party  had  placed 
Joseph,  the  son  of  Matthias— better  known  as  the  author  of  "Jewish  Antiquities,"  and 
by  his  Roman  name,  Flavius  Josephus,  which  he  later  assumed,  as  the  client  of  Ves- 
pasian in  command  in  Galilee.  His  account  given  in  "The  Jewish  War"  proves  that 
the  horrors  of  the  conflict  in  Galilee  were  not  overdrawn  by  Jubal..  Josephus,  who  was 
undoubtedly  possessed  of  military  genius  of  no  mean  order,  was  driven  at  last  to  stake 
the  fate  of  Galilee  on  the  defense  of  Jotapata.  Before  it  Vespasian  was  wounded,  but 
the  hill-fortress  was  finally  stormed.  The  story  of  the  marvelous  escape  of  the  Jewish 
leader  and  of  his  recapture  is  related  by  himself.  He  was  thereafter  attached  to  the 
suite  of  Vespasian  "  in  a  character  between  a  prisoner  and  a  companion ;  and,  after 
acting  throughout  the  war  as  a  mediator  between  his  countrymen  and  the  Romans,  he 
was  rewarded  with  a  grant  of  land  in  Judea,  together  with  a  pension  and  the  Roman 
franchise."  Some  of  the  most  interesting  features  in  Dr.  Croly's  romance  would  seem 
to  have  been  suggested  by  experiences  in  the  life  of  Josephus.  The  horrors  of  the  war 
were  indescribable.  Toward  the  close  of  the  Galilean  campaign,  Trajan  was  despatched 
by  Vespasian  to  seize  Joppa,  the  only  port  held  by  the  Jews.  "  Here  the  unfortunate 
inhabitants  took  to  their  ships,  which  were  dashed  to  pieces  by  a  storm,  and  the  few 
survivors  killed  by  the  Romans  as  they  gained  the  land.  At  the  other  captured  cities 
(Tiberias,  Taricheia,  Gamala,  Itabyrium,  and  Gischala.)  all  the  elder  inhabitants  were 
massacred  and  the  younger  sold  as  slaves.  Never  was  a  war  marked  by  greater  atroci- 
ties on  both  sides  than  that  which  now  desolated  the  Holy  Land." 

39— page  284.  The  numerous  caves,  owing  to  the  chalky  limestone  of  which  the  rocks 
of  Syria  and  Palestine  chiefly  consist,  are  one  of  the  marked  features  of  this  region. 
The  Scriptures  are  full  of  references  to  them,  as  they  were  used  for  dwelling-places, 
burial-places,  places  of  refuge,  and  other  purposes.  The  bold  shores  of  the  Mediter- 
ranean, affording  as  they  do  so  little  good  harborage,  are  well  suited  to  furnish  caverns, 
approachable  from  the  sea  only,  in  which  the  robber  band  is  represented  as  holding  its 
orgies. 

40— page  291.  Such  a  robber  group  was  not  uncommon  in  that  age,  made  up  as  it  was 
of  such  diverse  races  and  dispositions.  The  corruption  of  the  Roman  rule  under  Nero 
brought  an  approach  to  anarchy  in  many  of  the  provinces.  Owing  to  the  favorable 
character  of  its  topography  and  the  strange  mixture  of  its  population,  Palestine,  and 
indeed  the  whole  Syrian  shore  of  the  Mediterranean,  was  at  the  worst  in  this  regard. 
Robbery,  by  sea'and  by  land,  was  so  widely  practised  as  to  gather  to  itself  a  degree  of 
respectability  not  usually  associated  with  it.  German,  Chiote,  Syrian,  Arab,  Egyptian, 

35  545 


BppenMi 


and  Ethiopian,  all  develop  here  in  the  most  marked  way,  under  the  influence  of  over- 
much wine,  their  national  idiosyncrasies  and  their  natural  quarrelsomeness. 

41— page  328.  This  chance  meeting  with  Naomi,  the  granddaughter  of  Ananus,  the 
late  High  Priest,  furnishes  the  key  to  many  of  the  situations  and  strange  adventures  of 
the  closing  volume  of  this  romance.  It  was  during  the  [>eriod  of  Salathiel's  incarcera- 
tion in  the  dungeon,  and  while  Vespasian  was  pushing  on  to  Jerusalem,  that  the  death 
of  Ananus  occurred.  Josephus  represents  Ananus.  or  Anuus,  as  a  man  who  might 
have  saved  the  nation  from  destruction.  At  this  time  he  shared  the  supreme  power  in 
Jerusalem,  under  the  Sanhedrin,  with  Simon,  the  son  of  Garion,  the  bravest  of  the 
zealots,  the  moderate  party  being  thus  the  controlling  power  in  the  city.  Later,  how- 
ever, when  the  tide  of  devastation  directed  by  Vespasian  had  entirely  swept  over  Gal- 
ilee and  Perea,  the  death,of  Nero  brought  a  brief  respite  until  Vespasian  himself  had 
been  chosen  Emperor.  Meanwhile  the  efforts  of  Ananus  to  make  preparation  for 
defense  were  paralyzed  by  the  zealots.  The  historian  relates  how  "  Jerusalem  became 
the  refuge  and  sink  of  the  fugitives  from  every  quarter.  Crowds  brought  fresh  confu- 
sion, and  added  to  the  fatal  power  of  the  zealots.  At  length  John  of  Giscala  arrived, 
with  his  panting  men  and  horses,  from  the  fall  of  the  last  Galilean  fortress.  In  spite 
of  the  tale  which  their  appearance  told,  the  crafty  leader  announced  that  the  Romans 
were  exhausted,  and  pointed  to  the  long  resistance  of  the  northern  cities  as  a  presage 
of  their  failure  before  Jerusalem.  His  arrival  animated  the  zealots ;  and  the  robbers 
and  assassins  who  had  come  into  the  city  from  every  quarter  enacted  scenes  which  are 
only  paralleled  by  the  September  massacres  of  Paris  in  1793."  Ananus  set  himself 
against  this  sacrilegious  reign  of  terror,  but  the  zealots  prevailed,  and  he  was  put  to 
death,  and  his  naked  corpse  "thrown  out  to  the  dogs  and  vultures,  in  a  land  where  it 
was  a  sacred  custom  to  bury  even  the  worst  malefactors  before  sunset.  The  moderate 
party  was  crushed,  and  the  zealots  followed  up  their  triumph,  first  by  a  series  of  mas- 
sacres, in  which,  says  Josephus,  '  they  slaughtered  the  people  like  a  herd  of  unclean 
animals,'  to  the  number  of  12,000,  and  then  by  murders  under  the  form  of  law."  Fac- 
tion then  ran  riot  as  the  doomed  city  awaited  the  coming  of  Titus,  who  succeeded  his 
father  Vespasian,  for  its  llnal  destruction. 

42— page  347.  When  Vespasian  was  made  Emperor,  he  departed  for  Rome,  leaving 
Titus  to  work  the  wrath  of  God  .upon  the  doomed  city — doomed  because  of  unfaithful- 
ness to  its  covenant  with  Jehovah.  Early  in  the  year  70,  Titus,  having  collected  his 
forces  at  Caesarea,  moved  upon  Jerusalem  with  not  less  than  80,000  men,  arriving  before 
the  city  when,  at  the"  last  Passover  ever  celebrated,  it  was  crammed,  as  Josephus  relates, 
with  a  million  persons  keeping  that  feast  and  without  any  provision  having  been  made 
for  their  sustenance.  The  garrison  of  the  Holy  City  was  made  up  of  three  principal 
factions,  as  ready  to  flght  with  one  another  as  with  the  Roman.  Eleazar,  the  leader  of 
one  faction  of  the  zealots,  with  2,400  men,  held  the  Temple  and  four  strong  towers  that 
had  been  erected  at  its  corners.  John  of  Giscala,  leader  of  a  mediating  party,  had  suc- 
ceeded to  the  position  of  Ananus  in  the  Temple  courts  and  the  lower  city,  and  with 
6,000  men  besieged  Eleazar's  forces.  Simon,  son  of  Gioras,  occupied  the  hill  of  Zion 
with  10,000  Jews  and  5,000  Idumeans,  and  confronted  both  the  other  leaders.  Titus 
found  these  factions  carrying  on  an  incessant  flgbt  with  one  another  by  means  of  the 
war-engines  left  behind  by  Cestius  in  his  flight.  With  such  a  state  of  things  existing, 
there  could  be  little  hope  of  defense  against  the  conquerors  of  the  world. 

43— page  353.  The  Prince  arrived  after  Titus  had  pushed  the  siege  far  on  toward 
completion.  The  historian  records  that  on  the  first  day  of  the  feast,  the  Jewish  leaders 
for  a  moment  suspended  their  mutual  hostilities  to  make  a  combined  attack  upon  the 
single  legion  stationed  on  the  Mount  of  Olives.  The  Romans,  at  work  on  their  entrench- 
ments, were  suddenly  beset  by  hosts  that  kept  pouring  out  of  the  city,  and  were  driven 
back  to  the  summit  of  the  hill ;  but  by  a  desperate  effort  they  at  last  succeeded  in  beat- 
ing them  back.  On  the  next  day,  the  second  of  the  feast,  the  factions  renewed  the  in- 
ternal conflict,  and  the  party  of  John  gained  possession  of  the  Temple ;  and  thus  the 
factions  were  reduced  to  two. 

44 — page  356.  The  Christian  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem  alone  formed  an  exception  to 
the  judicial  blindness  that  had  fallen  upon  Israel.  Warned  by  the  prophecy  of  Jesus 

546 


annotations 


(Luke  xxi.  30,  21),  they  had  departed  in  a  body,  before  the  city  was  surrounded,  to 
Pella,  a  village  of  Decapolis,  beyond  the  Jordan. 

45— page  360.  When  the  siege  at  length  shut  in  the  city,  it  was  no  longer  possible  to 
furnish  the  priests  or  the  offerings  for  the  daily  sacrifice  twice  a  day  for  the  sins  of  the 
people :  hence  when  it  ceased,  on  the  17th  of  the  month  Tamuz,  the  universal  horror  of 
a  people  undone  expressing  itself  in  a  universal  outcry.  Concerning  the  cessation  of 
the  daily  sacrifice,  Whiston,  the  translator  and  editor  of  Josephus,  has  the  following 
note:  "This  was  a  remarkable  day  indeed, "the  17th  of  Paneinus  (Tamuz),  A.D.  70, 
when,  according  to  Daniel's  prediction,  six  hundred  and  six  years  before,  the  Romans, 
in  half  a  week,  caused  the  sacrifice  and  oblation  to  cease  (Dan.  ix.  27).  For  from  the 
month  of  February  A.D.  66,  about  which  time  Vespasian  entered  on  this  war,  to  this 
very  time,  was  just  three  years  and  a  half." 

46— page  367.  The  historical  record  is  that,  on  April  13  A.D.  70,  when  Titus  ad- 
vanced in  person  at  the  head  of  six  hundred  cavalry  to  reconnoiter  the  city,  not  a  man 
was  to  be  seen  :  but  as  he  rode  incautiously  near  the  wall,  he  was  suddenly  surrounded 
by  a  multitude  that  poured  out  from  a  gate  behind  him.  Bareheaded  and  without  a 
breastplate,  he  forced  his  way  through  the  hosts  with  his  horse  and  sword,  amid  a 
storm  of  darts  that  transfixed  many  of  his  followers,  and,  tho  he  escaped  unharmed  to 
the  camp,  the  Jews  could  boast  that  the  first  act  of  the  siege  was  Caesar's  flight. 

47— page  378.  What  with  faction  within  and  assault  from  without,  the  wretchedness 
of  Jerusalem  at  this  time  had  become  almost  inconceivable.  The  historian  graphically 
says: 

"  Soon  there  was  literally  a  battle  for  life  within  the  city.  The  weak  and  the  starving 
had  their  last  morsels  of  food  snatched  from  them  by  the  strong ;  and  the  strong  were 
tortured  and  executed  because  their  looks  convicted  them  of  having  a  concealed  store. 
'  Every  kind  feeling,  love,  respect,  natural  affection,  was  extinct  through  the  all-absorb- 
ing want.  Wives  would  snatch  the  last  morsel  from  husbands,  children  from  parents, 
mothers  from  children  ;  they  would  intercept  even  their  own  milk  from  the  lips  of  their 
pining  babes.'  If  we  are  allowed  to  doubt  whether  Josephus  has  exaggerated  these  hor- 
rors, we  may  be  sure  that  his  picture  of  the  cruelties  of  his  imperial  patron  is  but  too 
true.  As  the  famine  became  more  intolerable,  so  did  the  measures  of  Titus  to  force  the 
people  to  surrender.  Wretches  who  prowled  outside  the  walls  during  the  night,  to  pick 
up  scraps  of  food,  were  scourged  and  crucified,  sometimes  to  the  number  of  five  hundred 
at  a  time,  and  twisted  into  ludicrous  postures  by  the  wantonness  of  the  soldiers ;  the 
soldiers  bade  those  that  desired  peace  to  behold  these  examples  of  Roman  mercy." 

48— page  387.  It  is  to  the  honor  of  Titus  that  he  made  earnest  and  repeated  efforts  to 
save  the  Temple  as  well  as  to  prevent  its  desecration  by  the  Jews  themselves.  After 
the  destruction  of  Antonia  and  before  his  final  assault  upon  the  defenses  of  the  Temple, 
he  made  a  last  experiment  of  clemency.  According  to  the  historian,  many  accepted  his 
offer  of  mercy  ;  and  when  the  rest  had  fled  to  Zion  and  the  Temple,  he  sent  to  Josephus 
to  offer  them  free  egress  if  they  would  come  out  and  fight,  rather  than  see  the  sanctu- 
ary polluted.  His  words,  uttered  in  their  own  language,  were  beginning  to  make  some 
impression,  when  his  old  enemy,  John,  sternly  interrupted  him,  declaring  that  he  feared 
not  the  taking  of  the  city,  for  God  would  protect  His  own  :  and  Josephus  narrowly  es- 
caped capture.  The  captives  just  admitted  to  quarter,  including  many  of  the  chief 
priests,  next  appeared  before  the  Temple  gate  to  entreat  the  zealots  to  save  the  house  of 
God  from  ruin  ;  but  the  merciless  John,  who  had  already  butchered  many  of  their  rela- 
tives, answered  with  a  shower  of  missiles,  which— says  Josephus— strewed  the  ground 
with  bodies  as  thickly  as  the  places  where  the  slaves  were  thrown  out  unburied.  Titus 
himself  pleaded  the  inconsistency  of  filling  with  arms  and  blood  the  courts  of  the  Holy 
Place,  nay,  even  the  Holy  of  Holies,  which  they  had  always  guarded  with  jealousy.  "  I 
call  on  your  gods,"  said  he,  "  I  call  on  my  whole  army — I  call  on  the  Jews  who  are  with 
me — I  call  on  yourselves— to  witness  that  I  do  not  force  you  to  this  crime.  Come  forth, 
and  flght  in  any  other  plm-e,  and  no  Roman  shall  violate  your  sacred  edifice."  But  the 
zealots,  in  their  judicial  blindness,  rejected  all  offers  of  mercy,  and  waited  for  God  to 
save  the  Temple  by  miracle. 

49 — page  409.  The  historian  records  that  the  year  preceding  the  final  revolt  (A.D.  65) 
was  marked  by  the  direst  prodigies  of  impending  war  and  of  the  desolation  of  the  Tern- 

547 


pie.    During  a  whole  year,  a  comet  shaped  like  a  simitar  hung  over  the  city,  and  many 
an  eye-witness  testified  to  the  appearance  described  by  Milton : 

"  As  when,  to  warn  proud  cities,  war  appears 
Waged  in  the  troubled  sky,  and  armies  rush 
To  battle  in  the  clouds :  before  each  van 
Prick  forth  the  airy  knights,  and  couch  their  spears^ 
Till  thickest  legions  close ;  with  feats  of  arms 
From  either  end  of  heaven  the  welkin  burns." 

Those  who  witnessed  the  splendid  comet  of  Donati  (A.D.  1858)  will  at  once  be  able  to 
recognize  the  form  of  the  flaming  sword  across  the  sky. 

"  The  brazen  gate  of  the  Temple,  which  required  twenty  men  to  move  it  on  its  hinges, 
flew  open  of  its  own  accord  in  the  dead  of  night,  as  if  to  let  in  the  advancing  armies  of 
the  heathen."  (See  Philip  Smith.) 

50— page  419.  The  doom  of  the  Holy  City  had  been  rendered  inevitable  by  the  con- 
duct of  the  people  in  forsaking  their  covenant  with  Jehovah.  The  Evangelist  Luke 
(xix.  41-44)  represents  Jesus  as  pausing  as  He  approached  the  city,  and  shedding  bitter 
tears  over  the  remedilessness  of  the  fate  of  the  city  and  people.  The  passage  is  of  in- 
terest on  account,  not  only  of  this  weeping,  but  also  of  the  prophecy  so  remarkably  ful- 
filled by  Titus.  The  words  of  the  Gospel  are  as  follows : 

"And  when  he  was -come  near,  he  beheld  the  city,  and  wept  over  it,  saying.  If  thou 
hadst  known,  even  thou,  at  least  in  this  thy  day,  the  things  which  belong  unto  thy 
peace  !  but  now  they  are  hid  from  thine  eyes.  For  the  days  shall  come  upon  thee,  that 
thine  enemies  shall  cast  a  trench  about  thee,  and  compass  thee  round,  and  keep  thcc  in 
on  every  side,  and  shall  lay  thee  even  with  the  ground,  and  thy  children  within  thee; 
and  they  shall  not  leave  in  thee  one  stone  upon  another,  because  thou  knewest  not  the 
time  of  thy  visitation." 

51— page  428.— It  will  be  remembered  that  when  Titus  gathered  his  forces  at  Caesarea 
for  an  advance  upon  Jerusalem,  he  drew  from  Alexandria,  Egyptian  and  Ethiopian 
troops. 

52— page  446.  The  loss  of  life  among  the  Jews  during  the  siege  of  Jerusalem  was  al- 
most incredible.  Josephus  reckoned  it  at  1,100,000,  a  number  not  difficult  to  credit  if 
we  remember  that  "nearly  the  whole  male  population  of  Judea  had  been  gathered  to- 
gether for  the  Passover  when  the  city  was  beleaguered.  Tbe  prisoners  taken  in  the 
whole  war  were  90,000."  Had  it  not  been  for  the  Jews  of  the  dispersion,  the  nation 
would  have  perished  with  the  city.  It  was  due  to  the  compassion  of  Titus  that  a  move- 
ment that  might  have  destroyed  even  this  remnant  was  stopped  almost  at  its  incep- 
tion. When  persecution  of  the  Jews  began  at  Antioch,  where  several  Jews  were  put 
to  death  for  an  alleged  plot  to  set  flre  to  the  city,  from  which  It  would  probably  have 
spread  over  the  empire,  Titus  put  an  end  to  it  by  his  famous  order  and  rebuke  :  "  The 
country  of  the  Jews  is  destroyed,  thither  they  can  not  return ;  it  would  be  hard  to  allow 
them  no  home  to  retreat  to ;  leave  them  in  peace." 

53— page  459.  By  his  Roman  prenomen,  Titus,  is  usually  known  Titus  Flavins  Sabinus 
Vespasianus,  the  eleventh  of  the  twelve  Caesars,  Emperor  from  79  to  81  A.D.  He  was  in 
some  respects  one  of  the  most  remarkable  of  the  Caesars.  "  Educated  in  the  imperial 
court,  he  was  thoroughly  trained  in  all  elegant  accomplishments :  he  could  speak  Greek 
fluently,  and  could  compose  verses :  he  was  proficient  in  music ;  he  could  write  short- 
hand, and  could  imitate  handwriting  so  skilfully  that  he  used  to  say  that  he  might  have 
been  a  most  successful  forger.  He  was  very  handsome,  with  a  fine  commanding  ex- 
pression and  a  vigorous  frame,  well  trained  in  all  the  exercises  of  a  soldier."  His  long 
and  vailed  military  and  executive  experience,  under  the  guidance  of  his  father  Vespa- 
sian and  especially  in  the  Jewish  war,  made  him  a  consummate  warrior  and  adminis- 
trator. For  a  time,  however,  after  he  became  formally  associated  with  his  father  in  the 
government,  with  the  title  of  Caesar,  and  practically  controlled  the  administration  dur- 
ing the  last  nine  years  of  Vespasian's  reign,  he  developed  "  the  character  of  being  lux- 
urious, self-indulgent,  profligate,  and  cruel,"  and  seemed  to  have  in  himself  the  promise 
of  being  a  second  Nero.  The  scandal  connecting  his  name  with  the  shameless  beauty 

548 


annotations 


Berenice,  the  sister  of  the  Agrippa  of  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  outraged  public  opinion 
at  Rome,  but  ended  in  his  sending  her  back  to  the  East. 

The  death  of  Vespasian,  in  79  A.D.,  wrought  a  transformation  in  Titus,  and  he  became 
known  as  the  "  love  and  delight  of  mankind."  "  He  had  the  tact  to  make  himself  liked 
by  all.  He  seems  to  have  been  thoroughly  kindly  and  good-natured  ;  he  delighted  In 
giving  splendid  presents,  and  his  memorable  saying,  '  I  have  lost  a  day,'  is  said  to  have 
been  uttered  one  evening  at  the  dinner-table  when  he  suddenly  remembered  that  he 
had  not  bestowed  a  gift  on  any  one  that  day." 

64— page  467.  The  fine  portrait  here  drawn  of  Titus  Flavius  Vespasianus,  the  tenth  of 
the  Twelve  Caesars,  known  in  history  as  Vespasian,  is  in  striking  contrast  with  that 
previously  sketched  of  his  son  Tjtus.  The  father  had  little  of  the  princely  and  imposing 
personality  of  the  son.  He  was  a  thoroughly  able  soldier,  while  simple  and  frugal  in 
his  habits ;  in  short,  Tacitus  says  that  "  but  for  his  avarice  he  was  equal  to  the  generals 
of  old  days."  A  better  judgment,  however,  would  probably  attribute  the  avarice,  with 
which  both  Tacitus  and  Suetonius  stigmatize  him,  to  "  an  enlightened  economy,  which, 
in  the  disordered  state  of  the  Roman  finances,  was  an  absolute  necessity."  He  could 
be  abundantly  "  liberal  to  impoverished  senators  and  knights,  to  cities  and  towns  deso- 
lated by  natural  calamity,  and  especially  to  men  of  letters  and  of  the  professor  class, 
several  of  whom  he  pensioned  with  salaries  of  as  much  as  £800  a  year."  He  was  a  blunt, 
plain  soldier,  without  distinguished  bearing,  and  perhaps  for  that  very  reason  a  greater 
favorite  with  the  army  and  the  common  people.  "  By  his  own  example  of  simplicity  of 
life  he  put  to  shame  the  luxury  and  extravagance  of  the  Roman  nobles,  and  initiated  in 
many  respects  a  marked  improvement  in  the  general  tone  of  society,"  while  devoting 
much  thought  to  the  spread  and  promotion  of  those  intellectual  tastes  with  which  he 
was  not  personally  in  sympathy. 

65— page  523.  The  tragic  fate  of  Sabat  is  a  matter  of  history,  tho  the  story  of  the 
dead  bride  is  a  legendary  attachment.  Josephus  tells  us  that  he  "  was  one  Jesus,  the 
son  of  Ananus,  a  plebeian  and  a  husbandman,  who  four  years  before  the  war  began, 
and  at  a  time  when  the  city  was  in  very  great  peace  and  prosperity,  came  to  that  feast 
whereon  it  is  our  custom  for  every  one  to  make  tabernacles  to  God  in  the  Temple,  and 
began  on  a  sudden  to  cry  aloud :  '  A  voice  from  the  east,  a  voice  from  the  west,  a  voice 
from  the  four  winds,  a  voice  against  Jerusalem  and  the  holy  house,  a  voice  against  the 
bridegroom  and  the  bride,  and  a  voice  against  this  whole  people.'  This  was  his  cry  as 
he  went  about  by  day  and  by  night,  in  all  the  lanes  of  the  city."  The  efforts  of  the 
people  and  even  of  the  Roman  procurator  to  suppress  his  cry  were  unavailing ;  and 
when  the  scourge  was  applied,  at  every  stroke  of  the  whip  his  answer  was  :  "  Wo,  wo 
to  Jerusalem ! "  "  This  cry  was  the  loudest  at  the  festivals ;  and  he  continued  this 
ditty  for  seven  years  and  five  months,  without  growing  hoarse  or  being  tired  therewith, 
until  the  very  time  that  he  saw  his  presage  in  earnest  fulfilled  in  our  siege,  when  it 
ceased  ;  for  as  he  was  going  round  on  the  wall,  he  cried  out  with  his  utmost  force, '  Wo, 
wo  to  the  city  again,  and  to  the  people,  and  to  the  holy  house  ! '  And  just  as  he  added  at 
the  last,  '  Wo,  wo  to  myself  also  ! '  there  came  a  stone  out  of  one  of  the  engines,  and 
smote  him,  and  killed  him  immediately ;  and,  as  he  was  uttering  the  very  same  presage, 
he  gave  up  the  ghost." 

66- page  531.  Josephus  gives  a  somewhat  detailed  account  of  the  final  struggle  and 
of  the  burning  of  the  Temple.  After  sharp  conflict  and  setting  tire  to  the  doors  and 
outer  courts  of  the  Temple,  Titus  retired  into  the  tower  of  Antonia,  and  "resolved  to 
storm  the  Temple  the  next  day,  early  in  the  morning,  with  his  whole  army,  and  to  en- 
camp round  about  the  holy  house."  The  Jews,  however,  after  a  little,  attacked  the 
Romans,  who  drove  back  those  that  were  quenching  the  fire  in  the  inner  court  of  the 
Temple,  and  those  that  guarded  the  holy  house,  and  pursued  them  as  far  as  the  Holy 
Place  itself.  The  record  is  that  at  this  time,  on  the  tenth  day  of  the  month  Ab,  the  day 
on  which  it  was  formerly  burned  by  the  king  of  Babylon,  "  one  of  the  soldiers,  without 
staying  for  any  orders,  and  without  any  concern  or  dread  upon  him  at  so  great  an  un- 
dertaking, and  being  hurried  on  by  a  certain  divine  fury,  snatched  somewhat  out  of  the 
materials  that  were  on  flre,  and  being  lifted  up  by  another  soldier,  he  set  fire  to  a  golden 
window  or  lattice,  through  which  there  was  a  passage  to  the  rooms  that  were  round 


about  the  holy  house,  on  the  north  side  of  it.  As  the  flames  went  upward,  the  Jews 
made  a  great  clamor,  such  as  so  mighty  an  affliction  required,  and  ran  together  to  pre- 
vent it ;  and  now  they  spared  not  their  lives  any  longer,  nor  suffered  anything  to  restrain 
their  force,  since  that  holy  house  was  perishing,  for  whose  sake  it  was  that  kept  guard 
about  it." 

The  utmost  efforts  of  Titus  to  save  the  sacred  building  were  utterly  vain.  "  The 
legionaries  either  could  not  or  would  not  hear;  they  rushed  on,  trampling  each  other 
down  in  their  furious  haste,  or,  stumbling  over  the  crumbling  ruins,  perished  with  the 
enemy.  Each  exhorted  the  other,  and  each  hurled  his  blazing  brand  into  the  inner 
part  of  the  edifice,  and  then  hurried  to  the  work  of  carnage.  The  unarmed  and  de- 
fenseless people  were  slain  in  thousands ;  they  lay  heaped,  like  sacrifices,  round  the 
altar ;  the  steps  of  the  Temple  ran  with  streams  of  blood,  which  washed  down  the 
bodies  which  lay  upon  it." 


550 


JESUS    OF    NAZARETH    FROM    THE    PRESENT 
JEWISH  POINT  OF  VIEW 


In  this  age  and  land,  Jew  and  Christian  seem  destined  at  last 
to  give  one  another  the  glad  hand.  The  old  spirit  of  misunder- 
standing and  often  of  hate  (which  to  our  shame — more  to  the 
shame  of  the  Christian  than  of  the  Jew — has  now  lasted  nearly 
a  score  of  centuries),  in  this  light  of  noon,  now  and  here,  is  in- 
tolerable. At  the  dawn  of  the  twentieth  century,  antisemitism  in 
America,  even  the  feeblest  whisper  of  it,  is  an  anachorism,  and 
an  anachronism  of  the  grossest  sort. 

That  spirit  was  natural  enough  with  the  church  of  the  early 
ages,  for  the  church,  nearly  all  of  it,  was  simply  the  pagan  tiger 
baptized,  and  labels  changed,  but  not  the  nature  of  the  beast. 
The  Christ  that  was  presented  to  the  Jew  the  Jew  did  well  to 
hate,  for  he  was  a  Christ  of  barbaric  cruelty,  a  monster  who 
drove  millions  of  Jews  through  fire  and  starvation,  out  of  the 
world,  and  this  entire  people  for  ages  from  their  homes  and  coun- 
tries. It  the  Jews  had  not  hated  and  spit  on  the  very  name  of 
that  Christ,  they  had  been  more  or  less  than  human. 

Among  this  people  the  ties  of  kinship  are  especially  strong,  so 
that  when  a  wrong  is  done  to  one,  no  other  flame  is  needed  to 
make  the  blood  of  all  boil.  With  the  million  of  fires  burning  to 
death  their  martyred  brethren,  quite  naturally  the  air  grew  too 
thick  with  smoke,  and  their  eyes  too  sore  with  weeping,  for  them 
to  see  any  of  the  beauty  of  the  Cross.  Talk  of  the  sweetness  of 
that  Christ  was  hideous  mockery  to  them.  I  boo  would  join  with 
them  and  spit  on  such  a  Christ.  But  now  the  smoke  is  getting 
out  of  the  air,  and  the  Jew,  like  the  rest  of  us,  is  beginning  to 
see  the  real  Jesus  of  the  Gospels,  and  he  also,  like  the  rest  of  us 
when  we  see  Him  aright,  can  not  but  respect,  admire,  love  Him — 
claim  Him  as  one  of  his  own  people,  saying,  with  Rabbi  Henry 
Berkowitz,  of  Philadelphia,  this  Jew,  Jesus,  "is  the  greatest, 
noblest  rabbi  of  them  all,"  and  as  the  famous  Jewish  writer,  Max 
Nordau,  touchingly  says,  "  He  is  one  of  us." 

551 


BppenOij 


Yes,  we  are  living  in  a  better  land  and  in  a  better  time.  Here 
both  Christian  and  Jew  clasp  the  folds  of  the  same  flag  and  say, 
Our  Country,  and  both  look  up  to  the  one  God,  the  God  of  Abra- 
ham, Isaac,  and  Jacob,  and  say,  Our  Father;  and  may  not  both, 
by  and  by,  look  to  this  Jew,  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  and  say,  Our 
Brother  ? 

Within  the  past  two  years  I  have  written  to  a  number  of 
representative  Jews,  residing  in  different  parts  of  the  world,  ask- 
ing the  question,  WHAT  IS  THE  JEWISH  THOUGHT  TO- 
DA  Y  OF  JES  US  OF  NAZARETH*  The  inquiry  was  accom- 
panied  with  a  copy  of  the  letter  from  Dr.  Kohler,  which  is  here 
published  as  the  first  of  the  series.  There  are  utterances  in  some 
of  these  published  replies  that  may  strike  strangely  and  discord- 
antly on .  orthodox  Christian  hearts.  It  will  be  well  for  all 
such  to  ponder  the  following  letter,  here  given  as  prefatory  to 
the  other  replies.  It  is  from  the  pen  of  Dr.  Singer,  a  well-known 
Jewish  scholar,  the  originator  arid  now  the  managing  editor  of 
the  Jewish  Encyclopedia : 

A  LETTER  FROM  ISIDORE  SINGER,  Ph.D. 

"It  has  been  both  a  privilege  and  a  pleasure  to  me  to  examine 
in  the  original  manuscript  the  letters  which  are  printed  on  the 
following  pages.  They  are  all  from  representative  Jewish 
scholars,  theologians,  historians,  and  philosophers,  well  and 
most  favorably  known  in  the  scientific  world  of  Europe  and 
America.  Where  it  has  been  necessary  to  abbreviate  for  lack  of 
space,  I  find  that  the  work  has  been  done  in  a  way  that  does  no 
injustice  to  the  writer.  No  one  is  made  to  say,  by  faulty  trans- 
lation, or  abridgment,  or  otherwise,  what  he  does  not  intend  to 
say.  It  is  my  hope  and  most  ardent  desire  that  these  utterances 
may  greatly  help  to  make  known  to  the  Christian  world  the  real 
heart  and  mind  of  my  brethren.  I  am  glad  to  be  permitted  to 
add  a  thought  or  two  of  my  own. 

"  I  regard  Jesus  of  Nazareth  as  a  Jew  of  the  Jews,  one  whom 
all  Jewish  people  are  learning  to  love.  His  teaching  has  been  an 
immense  service  to  the  world  in  bringing  Israel's  God  to  the 
knowledge  of  hundreds  of  millions  of  mankind. 

"The  great  change  in  Jewish  thought  concerning  Jesus  of 
Nazareth,  I  can  not  better  illustrate  than  by  this  fact: 

"  When  I  was  a  boy,  had  my  father,  who  was  a  very  pious  man. 
heard  the  name  of  Jesus  uttered  from  the  pulpit  of  our  synagog, 

552 


of  Iftasaretb  from  tbe  present  Jewtsb  point  of  Diew 


he  and  every  other  man  in  the  congregation  would  have  left  the 
building,  and  the  rabbi  would  have  been  dismissed  at  once. 

"  Now,  it  is  not  strange,  in  many  synagogs,  to  hear  sermons 
preached  eulogistic  of  this  Jesus,  and  nobody  thinks  of  protest- 
ing, —  in  fact,  we  are  all  glad  to  claim  Jesus  as  one  of  our  people. 

"ISIDORE  SINGER." 
New  York,  March  25,  1901. 


LETTERS  FROM  REPRESENTATIVE  JEWS 

[Omissions  from  letters  indicated  by  ellipses  have  been  made  necessary  because  of 
lack  of  space.  In  another  form,  at  no  distant  date,  it  is  the  expectation  that  these  and 
similar  letters  will  be  published  in  full.  No  letter  from  a  Jew  who  is  known  to  be  a 
Christian  convert  is  here  given ;  hence  those  portions  of  letters  that  discuss  the  divinity 
of  Christ  have  generally  been  omitted.] 

From  KAUFMANN  KOHLER    Ph.D.,  Rabbi  of  Temple  Beth -El,  New 

York  : 

The  true  history  of  Jesus  is  so  wrapped  up  in  myth,  the  story  of  his 
life  told  in  the  gospels  so  replete  with  contradictions,  that  it  is  rather 
difficult  for  the  unbiased  reader  to  arrive  at  the  true  historical  facts. 
Still  the  beautiful  tales  about  the  things  that  happened  around  the  lake 
of  Galilee  show  that  there  was  a  spiritual  daybreak  in  that  dark  corner 
of  Judea  of  which  official  Judaism  had  failed  to  take  sufficient  cogni- 
zance. "  The  stone  that  the  builders  rejected  has  become  the  corner- 
stone "  of  a  new  world. 

It  is  assumed  by  entire  Christendom  that  the  Jews  in  rejecting  Jesus 
Christ  brought  upon  themselves  everlasting  doom,  the  inexorable  fate 
of  exile,  persecution,  and  hatred.  This  view  is  based  upon  the  cruci- 
fixion story  in  the  gospel  records,  which,  while  shielding  the  Romans, 
maligns  the  Jews,  and  is  incompatible  with  the  simple  facts  of  the  Jew- 
ish law,  the  older  Christian  tradition,  with  common  sense,  and  with  the 
established  character  of  Pontius  Pilate,  a  very  tiger  in  human  shape. 
Surely  the  records  of  the  trial  demand  a  revision. 

"Dn>  THE  JEWS  REJECT  CHRIST?"  Most  assuredly  the  weird  and 
visionary  figure  of  the  dead  and  rerisen  Christ,  the  crucified  Messiah 
lifted  up  to  the  clouds  there  to  become  a  partaker  of  God's  nature — a 
metaphysical  or  mythological  principle  of  the  cosmos — the  Jews  did 
reject.  They  would  not,  let  it  cost  what  it  may,  surrender  the  doctrine 
of  the  unity  and  spirituality  of  God.  Jesus,  the  living  man,  the  teacher 
and  practiser  of  the  tenderest  love  for  God  and  man,  the  paragon  of 
piety,  humility,  and  self-surrender,  whose  very  failings  were  born  of 
overflowing  goodness  and  sympathy  with  the  afflicted,  the  Jews  had  no 

553 


cause  to  reject.  He  was  one  of  the  best  and  truest  sons  of  the  syna- 
gog.  Did  he  not  say,  "  I  have  not  coine  to  destroy  the  law,  but  to  ful- 
fil it"  ?  What  reason  had  the  Jews  for  hating  and  persecuting  him  who 
had  nothing  of  the  rigidity  of  the  schoolman,  none  of  the  pride  of  the. 
philosopher  and  recluse,  nor  even  the  implacable  zeal  of  the  ancient 
prophet  to  excite  the  popular  wrath ;  who  came  only  to  weep  with  the 
sorrowing,  to  lift  up  the  downtrodden,  to  save  and  to  heal  ?  He  was  a 
man  of  the  people;  why  should  the  people  have  raised  the  cry,  "Crucify 
him!"  against  him  whose  only  object  in  life  was  to  bring  home  the 
message  of  God's  love  to  the  humblest  of  his  children  ?  Nor,  in  fact, 
was  he  the  only  one  among  the  popular  preachers  of  the  time  who  in 
unsparing  language  and  scathing  satire  exposed  and  castigated  the  abuses 
of  the  ruling  priesthood,  the  worldly  Sadducees,  as  well  as  the  hypoc- 
risy and  false  piety  of  some  of  the  Pharisean  doctors  of  the  law.  His 
whole  manner  of  teaching,  the  so-called  Lord's  Prayer,  the  Golden  Rule, 
the  code  of  ethics  expounded  for  the  elect  ones  in  the  Sermon  on  the 
Mount,  no  less  than  his  miraculous  cures,  show  him  to  have  been  one  of 
the  Essenes,  a  popular  saint. 

But  he  was  more  than  an  ordinary  teacher  and  healer  of  men.  He 
went  to  the  very  core  of  religion  and  laid  bare  the  depths  of  the  human 
soul.  As  a  veritable  prophet,  Jesus,  in  such  striking  manner,  dis- 
claimed allegiance  to  any  of  the  Pharisean  schools  and  asked  for  no  au- 
thority but  that  of  the  living  voice  within,  while  passing  judgment  on 
the  law,  in  order  to  raise  life  to  a  higher  standard.  He  was  a  bold 
religious  and  social  reformer,  eager  to  regenerate  Judaism.  True,  a 
large  number  of  sayings  were  attributed  to  the  dead  master  by  his  dis- 
ciples which  had  been  current  in  the  schools.  Still,  the  charm  of  true 
originality  is  felt  in  these  utterances  of  his  when  the  great  realities  of 
life,  when  the  idea  of  Sabbath,  the  principle  of  purity,  the  value  of  a 
human  soul,  of  woman,  even  of  the  abject  sinner,  are  touched  upon. 
None  can  read  these  parables  and  verdicts  of  the  Nazarene  and  not  be 
thrilled  with  the  joy  of  a  truth  unspelled  before.  There  is  wonderful 
music  in  the  voice  which  stays  an  angry  crowd,  saying,  "Let  him  that  is 
without  sin  cast  the  first  stone ! "  that  speaks  the  words,  "Be  like  chil- 
dren, and  you  are  not  far  from  the  kingdom  of  God  ! " 

"Din  THE  JEWS  REJECT  CHRIST?"  Jesus  anticipated  a  reign  of  per- 
fect love,  but  centuries  of  hatred  came.  Could  the  Jews,  victims  of 
Christian  intolerance,  look  with  calmness  and  admiration  upon  Jesus, 
in  whose  name  all  the  atrocities  were  perpetrated?  Still,  the  leading 
thinkers  of  Judaism  willingly  recognized  that  the  founder  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church,  as  well  as  that  of  Islamism,  was  sent  by  divine  Providence 
to  prepare  the  pagan  world  for  the  Messianic  kingdom  of  truth  and 
righteousness. 

The  Jew  of  to-day  beholds  in  Jesus  an  inspiring  ideal  of  matchless 
beauty.  While  he  lacks  the  element  of  stern  justice  expressed  so  forci- 
bly in  the  law  and  in  the  Old-Testament  characters,  the  firmness  of  self- 
assertion  so  necessary  to  the  full  development  of  manhood,  all  those 

554 


5c0us  of  1fta3aretb  from  tbe  present  3ewtsb  point  of 


social  qualities  which  build  up  the  home  and  society,  industry  and 
worldly  progress,  he  is  the  unique  exponent  of  the  principle  of  redeem- 
ing love.  His  name  as  helper  of  the  poor,  as  sympathizing  friend  of  the 
fallen,  as  brother  of  every  fellow  sufferer,  as  lover  of  man  and  redeemer 
of  woman,  has  become  the  inspiration,  the  symbol,  and  tbe  watchword 
for  the  world's  greatest  achievements  in  the  field  of  benevolence.  While 
continuing  the  work  of  the  synagog,  the  Christian  Church  with  the 
larger  means  at  her  disposal  created  those  institutions  of  charity  and 
redeeming  love  that  accomplished  wondrous  things.  The  very  sign  of 
the  cross  has  lent  a  new  meaning,  a  holier  pathos  to  suffering,  sickness, 
and  sin,  so  as  to  offer  new  practical  solutions  for  the  great  problems  of 
evil  which  fill  the  human  heart  with  new  joys  of  self-sacrificing  love. 

All  this  modern  Judaism  gladly  acknowledges,  reclaiming  Jesus  as 
one  of  its  greatest  sons.  But  it  denies  that  one  single  man,  or  one 
church,  however  broad,  holds  the  key  to  inany-sided  truth.  It  waits  for 
the  time  when  all  life's  deepest  mysteries  will  have  been  spelled,  and 
to  the  ideals  of  sage  and  saint  that  of  the  seeker  of  all  that  is  good, 
beautiful,  and  true  will  have  been  joined  ;  when  Jew  and  Gentile,  syn- 
agog and  church,  will  merge  into  the  Church  universal,  into  the  great 
city  of  humanity  whose  name  is  "God  is  there." 

August  23,  1899. 


From  MORITZ  FRIEDLlNDEB,  Ph.D.,  author  of  "Patristische  und 
Talmudische  Studien,"  "Das  Judenthum  in  der  vorchristlichen 
griechischen  Welt,"  etc.,  Vienna,  Austria: 

.  .  .  The  synagog  of  primitive  Christianity  was  the  direct  offspring 
of  the  Jewish  synagog.  Here,  too,  the  center  of  sublime,  divine  service 
which  powerfully  influenced  the  simple  and  pious  souls,  was  Moses  and 
the  prophets,  hallowed,  in  addition,  by  the  splendor  of  the  invisibly 
ruling  Messiah. 

In  this  synagog  originated  a  new  Israel,  which  silently  and  noise- 
lessly prospered  beside  "the  burden  of  the  law,"  which  killed  the  spirit 
of  the  Mosaic  doctrine  and  prepared  the  ossification  and  dwarfing  of 
Judaism, 

This  synagog  was  a  true  house  of  God,  which  made  all  those  who 
entered  it  enthusiastic  for  a  pure  Mosaism,  whose  principal  doctrine  was 
the  love  of  God  and  the  love  of  man.  Here  every  one,  through  teaching 
and  learning,  invigorated  himself,  and  even  the  most  simple-minded 
visitor  left  the  house  as  an  enthusiastic  apostle.  In  short,  it  was  a  syn- 
agog to  which,  if  it  existed  to-day,  all  hearts  would  be  drawn  and 
around  which  the  entire  enlightened  Judaism  of  to-day  would  gather. 
And  Jesus  himself,  who  was  the  starting-point  of  the  synagog  of  the 
Messianic  community,  who  fertilized  and  rejuvenated  it  by  the  sub- 
lime Messianic  idea,  was  proclaimed  as  divine  Redeemer  because  of 
this  rejuvenation,  as  well  as  because  of  the  redemption  undertaken 

555 


Bppen&tj 


by  him,  on  the  Palestinian  soil,  from  the  " unsupportable  burdens" 
which  the  Pharisee  teachers  imposed  on  the  people  (Matt,  xxiii.  4). 

Always  higher,  on  to  unapproachableness  grew  his  personality,  in- 
cluding all  that  is  beautiful,  lofty,  sublime,  and  divine,  and  forcing 
every  one  to  adoration  and  self-nobilization.  This  divine  "Son  of 
Man"  became  the  world-ideal,  and  this  sublime  ideal  has  been  origi- 
nated in  Judaism,  which  will  ever  be  remembered  as  having  been  pre- 
destined by  Providence  to  bring  forth  such  a  creation. 

November  6,  1899 


From  MORRIS  J ASTRO W,  Jr.,  Ph.D.,  Professor  of  Semitic  Languages, 
University  of  Pennsylvania,  Philadelphia,  Pa.  : 

From  the  historic  point  of  view,  Jesus  is  to  be  regarded  as  a  direct 
successor  of  the  Hebrew  prophets.  His  teachings  are  synonymous  with 
the  highest  spiritual  aspirations  of  the  human  race.  Like  the  prophets, 
he  lays  the  chief  stress  upon  pure  conduct  and  moral  ideas,  but  he  goes 
beyond  the  prophets  in  his  absolute  indifference  to  theological  specula- 
tions and  religious  rites.  It  is  commonly  said  that  the  Jews  rejected 
Jesus.  They  did  so  in  the  sense  in  which  they  rejected  the  teachings  of 
their  earlier  prophets,  but  the  question  may  be  pertinently  asked,  Has 
Christianity  accepted  Jesus  ?  Neither  our  social  nor  our  political  system 
rests  upon  the  principles  of  love  and  charity,  so  prominently  put  forward 
by  Jesus. 

The  long  hoped-for  reconciliation  between  Judaism  and  Christianity 
will  come  when  once  the  teachings  of  Jesus  shall  have  become  the  axioms 
of  human  conduct. 

November  6,  1899. 


From  BARON   DAVID   VON  GUNZBURG,  St.  Petersburg,  Russia : 

Jesus  of  Nazareth  sought  to  regenerate  the  common  people  of  Galilee 
by  infusing  into  them  the  moral  teaching  of  the  academies ;  and  to  this 
end  he  stripped  the  religious  ideal  of  its  scientific  garb.  Understood 
perfectly  by  those  who  listened  to  him,  his  simple  language,  neverthe- 
less, proved  a  stumbling-block  for  those  who  had  not  known  him,  but 
who  desired,  after  his  death,  to  commune  with  his  apostles.  They 
construed  current  phrases  as  predicating  actual  entities,  and  having  thus 
created  a  certain  type  of  Messiah,  it  therefore  devolved  upon  succeeding 
ages,  under  the  influence  of  controversy  and  in  the  ardor  of  religious 
polemics,  to  harmonize  at  once  all  the  genuine  traditions,  all  the  ill- 
understood  and  ill-reported  addresses  made  by  him,  all  his  noble  aspira- 
tions which  later  generations  failed  to  comprehend,  and  to  bring  them 
all  into  accord  with  the  ardent  faith  of  new  converts  as  well  as  with  the 
Bibk*  texts  relative  to  the  Messiah. 

September  29,  1899. 

556 


of  Tlasaretb  from  tbe  present  Jewisb  ipoint  of  Diew 

From  PROF.  DAVID  CASTELLI,  author  of  "Storia  degli  Israeliti," 
Florence,  Italy  : 

.  .  .  Jesus  in  a  certain  sense  fulfilled  in  his  person  the  prophecies  of 
the  Old  Testament ;  they  reached  in  him  a  height  beyond  which  it  is 
impossible  to  go.  He  was  not  the  magnificent  worldly  king,  since  there 
could  be  no  question  of  a  worldly  king  in  Israel  again,  for  whom  the 
Hebrews  waited  in  vain ;  but  he  was  the  great  teacher  of  mankind, 
spreading  among  all  nations  that  principle  of  love  and  humanity  which, 
until  then,  had  remained  confined  within  the  limits  of  Judaism.  His 
word,  and  after  him  that  of  the  Apostles,  who,  like  himself,  were  born 
and  reared  in  Judaism,  were  a  powerful  means  of  carrying  into  effect  the 
yet  unfulfilled  prophecy  of  the  Old  Testament:  "The  Lord  will  be  King 
of  all  the  earth  ;  in  that  day  God  will  be  one  and  his  name  one." 

September  28,  1899. 


From  MARCUS  JASTROW,  Ph.D.,  Rabbi  Emeritus  of  Rodeph- 
Shalom  Congregation,  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  Author  of  the  "Dic- 
tionary of  the  Talmud,"  etc.  : 

The  thoughtful  Jews  of  all  days,  and  especially  of  modern  tendency 
of  thought,  see  in  Jesus,  as  depicted  in  the  New  Testament,  the  expo- 
nent of  apart  of  the  ethics  of  Judaism,  and  more  especially  of  its  milder 
side  -  love  and  charity.  The  ethical  sayings  of  Jesus  reflect  the  con- 
ception of  Judaism  in  his  own  period,  as  it  was  current  among  its 
spiritual  leaders,  such  as  Hillel,  Rabbi  Akiba,  Ben  Zonia,  and  others. 
To  a  heathen  world  merged  in  vice  and  crime,  to  a  civilization  that  led 
the  thoughtful  among  Romans  and  Greeks  toward  the  abyss  of  pessimism 
and  despair,  Christianity  offered  the  bright  prospect  of  forgiveness  and 
reconciliation  with  goodness.  For  the  Jews  it  had  no  mission,  no  new 
gifts  to  offer.  Its  ethics  appear  to  the  modern  Jew  one-sided  and  exag- 
gerated ;  the  sense  of  justice  appears  to  be  pushed  into  the  background 
in  favor  of  an  unrealizable  ideal  of  love. 

Judaism  prohibits  revenge  and  the  bearing  of  grudge,  commands  the 
assistance  of  an  enemy  in  distress,  but  "to  love  one's  enemy  "  appears  to 
the  modern  Jew  a  somewhat  morbid  philanthropy  that  could  never  have 
been  seriously  meant.  To  bear  indignities  with  patience,  "to  be  of  the 
insulted  and  not  of  the  insulters,"  is  a  Jewish  principle,  but  to  offer  the 
right  cheek  to  him  who  slaps  you  on  the  left,  to  offer  the  undergarment 
to  him  who  takes  away  your  cloak — no,  we  will  not  and  we  can  not  do 
it.  Hence  it  is  that  we  Jews,  of  our  modern  days,  speak  of  Jesus  with 
that  respect  which  all  high-minded  dreamers  of  all  ages  and  nations 
inspire,  even  though  we  can  not  accept  all  their  ideas  and  ideals,  and 
are  mindful  of  the  fact  that  it  is  to  noble  dreamers  that  humanity  is  in- 
debted for  its  most  precious  possessions. 

September  4,  1899. 

557 


BppenWj 

From  fiMILE   LEVY,  Chief  Rabbi,  Bayonne,  France  : 

Wide  as  the  difference  may  be  in  certain  essential  points  between 
Christianity  and  Judaism,  yet  the  former  approaches  the  latter  through 
its  origin,  and  a  common  basis  .which  is  lo.ve  of  God  and  man.  In 
proclaiming  the  superiority  of  spirit  over  matter,  and  the  principle  of 
immortality  of  the  soul  and  of  a  future  life  ;  in  exhorting  mankind  in 
a  touching  and  poetical  language,  ever  trying  to  come  nearer  the  divine 
example  by  a  charitable,  humble,  modest,  and  pure  life,  Christ  has 
rendered  immense  services  to  humanity  and  to  the  cause  of  progress  and 
civilization,  for  he  thus  spread  the  Jewish  doctrine,  which  aims  at  a  con- 
tinual improvement  of  the  individual  and  of  society,  and  contributes  to 
the  preparation  of  the  Messianic  era  and  of  the  brotherhood  of  the  nations. 
October  24,  1899. 


From  HENRY  BERKOWITZ,  D.D.,  Rabbi  of  Rodeph  Shalom  Con- 
gregation, Founder  and  Chancellor  of  the  Jewish  Chautauqua 
Society,  Philadelphia,  Pa.  : 

.  .  .  To  me  one  of  the  saddest  and  most  tragic  facts  in  history  is  this, 
that  Jesus,  the  gentlest  and  noblest  rabbi  of  them  all,  should  have  be- 
come lost  to  his  own  people  by  reason  of  the  conduct  of  those  who  called 
themselves  his  followers.  In  Jesus  there  is  the  very  flowering  of  Juda- 
ism. What  pathos,  then,  in  the  fact  that  his  own  people  have  been  made 
to  shun  his  very  name  ;  that  even  to-day  they  speak  it  with  bated  breath, 
because  it  has  been  made  to  them  a  symbol  and  a  synonym  of  all  that  is 
unjewish,  unchristian — irreligious.  .  .  . 

November  1,  1899. 


From  JOSEPH  REINACH,  Paris,  France,  formerly  Member  of  the 
Chamber  of  Deputies,  and  editor-in-chief  of  La  R6publique 
Fran^aise ;  Secretary  to  Gambetta,  and  editor  of  Gambetta's 
works : 

.  .  .  The  characteristic  mark  of  Jesus 's  moral  is  love,  the  purest  and 
noblest  love  that  ever  existed— love  for  all  human  creatures,  love  for 
the  poor,  love  for  the  wicked.  Love  is  joy,  and  love  is  duty,  and  love 
is  life.  Humanity,  since  its  first  day  and  to  its  last  day,  was  and  will 
be  thirsty  for  love,  and  Jesus  is  and  will  remain  one  of  the  highest,  if 
not  the  highest,  type  of  humanity,  because  his  words,  and  his  legend, 
and  his  poetry  are  and  will  be  an  eternal  source  of  love. 
November  28,  1899. 


From  CESARE  LOMBROSO,  Professor  of  Psychiatry  and  Criminology, 

University  of  Turin,  Italy: 

In  my  eyes  Jesus  is  one  of  the  greatest -genkises  the  world  has  pro-' 
duced,  but  he  was,  like  all  geniuses,  somewhat  unbalanced,  anticipating 

558 


Jesus  of  1Ra3aretb  from  tbc  present  Sewteb  point  of  Wfew 


by  ten  centuries  the  emancipation  of  the  slave,  and  by  twenty  centuries 
socialism  and  the  emancipation  of  woman.  He  did  not  proceed  by  a 
precise,  systematic  demonstration,  but  through  short  sentences  and  by 
leaps  and  bounds,  so  that  without  the  downfall  of  the  Temple,  and  with- 
out the  persecutions  of  the  Christians  under  Nero,  his  work  would  have 
been  lost.  .  .  . 

September  29,  1899. 


From  MAX  NOUDAU,  M.D.,  critic  and  philosopher,  Paris,  France: 
.  .  .  Jesus  is  soul  of  our  soul,  as  he  is  flesh  of  our  tlesh.  Who,  then, 
could  think  of  excluding  him  from  the  people  of  Israel  ?  St.  Peter  will 
remain  the  only  Jew  who  said  of  the  son  of  David,  "I  know  not  the  man." 
If  the  Jews  up  to  the  present  time  have  not  publicly  rendered  homage  to 
the  sublime  moral  beauty  of  the  figure  of  Jesus,  it  is  because  their  tor- 
mentors have  always  persecuted,  tortured,  assassinated  them  in  his  name. 
The  Jews  have  drawn  their  conclusions  from  the  disciples  as  to  the 
master,  which  was  a  wrong,  a  wrong  pardonable  in  the  eternal  victims 
of  the  implacable,  cruel  hatred  of  those  who  called  themselves  Christians. 
Every  time  that  a  Jew  mounted  to  the  sources  and  contemplated  Christ 
alone,  without  his  pretended  faithful,  he  cried,  with  tenderness  and  ad- 
miration :  "Putting  aside  the  Messianic  mission,  this  man  is  ours.  He 
honors  our  race  and  we  claim  him  as  we  claim  the  Gospels — flowers  of 
Jewish  literature  and  only  Jewish.  .  .  ." 


From  ISIDORE  HARRIS,  M.A.,  Rabbi  of  West  London  Synagog  of 
British  Jews,  London,  England : 

It  seems  to  me  that  the  truest  view  of  Jesus  is  that  which  regards  him 
as  a  Jewish  reformer  of  a  singularly  bold  type.  In  his  days,  Judaism 
had  come  to  be  overlaid  with  formalism.  The  mass  of  rabbinical  laws 
that  in  the  course  of  centuries  had  grown  round  the  Torah  of  Israel 
threatened  to  crush  out  its  spirit.  Jesus  protested  against  this  tendency 
with  all  the  energy  of  an  enthusiast.  Ceremonial  can  never  be  anything 
more  than  a  means  to  an  end — that  end  being  the  realization  of  the 
higher  life  of  communion  with  God.  The  rabbinical  doctors  of  the 
law  were  inclined  to  treat  it  as  an  end  in  itself,  and  this  Jesus  saw 
was  a  mistake.  In  taking  up  this  position,  he  was  simply  following  in 
the  path  that  had  already  been  marked  out  centuries  before  by  the  He- 
brew prophets. 

October  17,  1899. 

From  JECHESKIEL  CARO,  Ph.D.,  Chief  Rabbi,  Lemberg,  Austria: 

Primitive  Christianity,  as  Jesus  of  Nazareth  taught  and  preached  it, 

is  not  at  all  different  from  the  ethical  principles  of  Judaism.     He  him- 

559 


SppenMj 


self  proclaimed  that  he  did  not  come  to  destroy  the  law.     In  morality 
and  the  love  of  God  and  man  (l)eut.  vi.  6 ;  Matt.  xxii.  37  ;  Lev.  xvii.  18 ; 
Matt.  xxii.  39)  are  contained  the  real  essence  and  the  categorical  im- 
perative of  religion.  .  .  . 
October  18,  1899. 

FromN.  FORGES,  Ph.D.,  Rabbi,  Leipsic,  Germany: 

Even  the  most  conscientious  Jew  may,  without  hesitation,  recognize 
that  in  view  of  the  immense  effect  and  success  of  his  life,  Jesus  has  be- 
come a  figure  of  the  highest  order  in  the  history  of  religion,  and  that 
the  noble  man,  the  pure  character,  the  mild  heart-winning  personality, 
come  forth  unmistakable  even  from  the  mythical  cover  which  sur- 
rounds his  person.  The  fact  that  Jesus  was  a  Jew  should,  I  think,  in 
our  eyes,  rather  help  than  hinder  the  acknowledgment  of  his  high  sig- 
nificance, and  it  is  completely  incomprehensible  to  me  why  a  Jew  should 
think  and  speak  about  Jesus  otherwise  than  with  the  highest  respect, 
although  we,  as  Jews,  repudiate  the  belief  in  his  Messianic  character 
and  his  divine  humanity  with  the  utmost  energy,  from  innate  convic- 
tion. 

September  28,  1899. 


From  the  late  JAMES  H.  HOFFMAN,  Founder  and  first  President  of 
the  Hebrew  Technical  Institute,  New  York  City: 

...  I  revere  him  (Jesus)  for  having  brought  home  by  his  own  life  and 
his  teachings,  to  the  innermost  hearts  and  souls  of  mankind,  of  all  ti  uies, 
in  every  station,  the  eternal  truths  as  first  embodied  in  the  Mosaic  code 
and  proclaimed  in  undying  words  by  the  prophets.  I  recognize  in  him 
the  blending  of  the  divine  and  human,  the  lofty  and  lowly,  showing  the 
path  for  the  dual  nature  of  man,  by  divine  aspirations  to  gain  the  vic- 
tory over  the  earthly  life,  tending  to  draw  him  downward — the  Son  of 
God  triumphing  over  the  child  of  the  earth.  .  .  . 

October  6,  1899. 

From   ADOLF    BRUELL,    Ph.D.,   Editor    " Popular-Wissenchaftliche 

Monatsbliitter,"  Frankfort-on-the-Main,  Germany : 
...  In  Christianity,  as  it  is  represented  in  the  Gospels,  the  sublime 
doctrines  of  Judaism,  if  we  subtract  the  dogmas,  find  their  most  beauti- 
ful expression.  If  we  deduct  the  purely  human  additions,  as  well  in 
Judaism  where  they  take  the  form  of  observances,  as  in  Christianity, 
where  they  crystallize  themselves  into  dogmas,  we  find  that  there  is  no 
real  antagonism  between  the  two.  And  how  could  it  be  otherwise,  for 
did  not  Jesus  stand  upon  the  ground  of  biblical  and  prophetical  Judaism? 

The  fact  that  love,  the  highest  religious  principle,  has  not  yet  fully  pen- 

560 


3esus  of  Hasaretb  from  tbc  present  Jewieb  point  of  Wew 


etrated  Christianity,  as  is  shown  by  the  awful  fanaticism  of  the  Middle 
Ages  and  the  odious  anti-Jewish  movement  of  our  own  time,  does  not 
alter  the  fact  that  Jesus  promulgated  a  sublime  doctrine  which  is  in  full 
harmony  with  Judaism,  and  with  which  Christianity  must  be  entirely 
imbued  before  it  can  be  seriously  called  the  religion  of  Christ 

Judaism  and  Christianity  both  have  still  to  go  through  a  process  of 
purification  as  to  law  and  dogma,  and  only  after  these  separating  walls 
have  fallen,  will  Jews  and  Christians,  and  with  them  all  humanity, 
on  the  terrain  of  pure  morality  and  the  spirit  of  the  prophets,  tender 
one  another  forever  the  hand  of  brotherhood  in  the  noble  spirit  of  rec- 
onciliation. 

Meanwhile,  it  would  be  appropriate  that  honest  and  enthusiastic  men 
might  form  an  alliance  in  order  to  reconcile  Judaism  and  Christianity, 
and  for  this  purpose  Jesus  and  the  prophets  would  be  rather  genial  helpers 
than  detractors. 

October  10,  1899.    

From  THEODORE  REINACH,  Ph.D.,  former  President  of  the  SocieSte' 
des  Etudes  Juives,  Paris,  France : 

Although  we  know  very  little  with  certainty  concerning  the  life  and 
teachings  of  Christ,  we  know  enough  of  him  to  believe  that,  in  morals 
as  well  as  in  theology,  he  was  the  heir  and  continuator  of  the  old  proph- 
ets of  Israel.  There  is  no  necessary  gap  between  Isaiah  and  Jesus,  but  it 
is  the  misfortune  of  both  Christianity  and  Judaism  thata  gap  has  been 
effected  by  the  infiltration  of  heathen  ideas  in  the  one,  and  the  stubborn 
(only  too  explainable)  reluctance  of  the  other,  to  admit  among  its  proph- 
ets one  of  its  greatest  sons.  I  consider  it  the  duty  of  both  enlightened 
Christians  and  Jews  to  endeavor  to  bridge  over  this  gap. 

December  17,  1899. 


From  JACOB  H.  SCHIFF,  New  York  City : 

We  Jews  honor  and  revere  Jesus  of  Nazareth  as  we  do  our  own  proph- 
ets who  preceded  him.  By  his  martyrdom,  his  teachings  have  been  em- 
phasized, and  these  are  to  this  day  I  believe  often  better  practised  by 
the  descendants  of  the  race  he  sprang  from  than  by  those  who  have 
become  the  followers  of  Christ  in  name,  but  not  in  spirit,  else  the  prej- 
udice practised  by  the  latter  against  Jews  would  not  exist.  .  .  . 

September  5,  1899. 


From  M.  LAZARUS,  Ph.D.,  late  Professor  of  Philosophy,  University 
of  Berlin,  author  of  "Die  Ethik  des  Judenthums,"  Meran,  Aus- 
tria: 

...  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  we  should  endeavor  with  all  possible 
zeal  to  obtain  an  exact  understanding  of  the  great  personality  of  Jesus 
and  to  reclaim  him  for  Judaism. 
January  24,  1901. 

36  561 


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563 


Bppcn&ij 


From  SIMON  WOLF,  LL.D.,  former  Consul  of  the  United  States  to 
Egypt,  Vice-President  of  Order  B'ne  B'rith,  Washington,  L>.  C. : 

I  have  not  had  the  time  nor  the  desire  to  investigate  the  alleged  divin- 
ity of  the  Christian  Savior.  /  have,  however,  recognized  the  great  in- 
fluence his  character  and  labors  have  exercised  throughout  the  world. 
If  properly  understood  and  if  properly  construed,  I  have  no  doubt  what- 
soever that  what  he  aimed  at  and  labored  for  would  prove  of  great  benefit 
to  every  human  being.  I  look  upon  him,  in  short,  as  a  great  teacher 
and  reformer,  one  who  aimed  at  the  uplifting  of  suffering  humanity, 
whose  every  motive  was  kindness,  mercy,  charity,  and  justice,  and  if 
his  wise  teaching  and  example  have  not  always  been  followed,  the  blame 
should  not  be  his,  but  rather  those  who  have  claimed  to  be  his  followers. 
I  have  the  very  highest  regard  for  him  as  a  man  who  reflects  in  his  say- 
ings the  divine  Spirit,  which  after  all  is  nothing  more  or  less  than  a 
reflex  of  the  Jewish  ethics  in  which  he  was  so  well  grounded. 

October  9,  1899. 


From  H.  WEINSTOCK,  Sacramento,  Cal.  Extract  from  a  letter  to 
Dr.  K.  Kohler : 

[The  letter  urges  reasons  why  the  life  and  sayings  of  Jesus  should  be  taught  in  Jew- 
ish Sabbath-schools.  Dr.  Kohler  approves  of  the  suggestion.] 

With  the  growing  enlightenment  and  the  broadening  atmosphere 
under  which  the  modern  Jew  lives,  the  progressive  Jew  looks  upon  the 
Nazarene  as  one  of  Israel's  great  teachers,  who  has  a  potent  influence 
on  civilization,  whose  words  and  deeds  have  left  an  undying  imprint 
upon  the  human  mind,  and  have  done  heroic  work  toward  universalizing 
the  God  of  Israel  and  the  Bible.  Thischange  of  sentiment  toward  Jesus 
is  largely  due  to  the  intelligent  and  progressive  preaching  of  our  modern 
rabbis,  who  seem  to  appreciate  the  glory  Jesus  has  shed  upon  the  Jewish 
name,  and  the  splendid  work  he  did  in  broadening  the  influence  of  the 
Jewish  teachings.  But,  despite  all  this,  the  fact  remains,  that,  so  far 
as  I  know,  not  one  Jewish  Sabbath-school  in  the  land  teaches  a  single 
word  concerning  Jesus  of  Nazareth. 

To  maintain  a  continued  silence  in  the  Jewish  Sabbath-school  on 
Jesus  would  seem  a  grave  error.  ... 

The  influence  of  "Jesus  the  Christ"  may  be  diminishing  in  the  ra- 
tional world,  but  the  influence  of  "Jesus  the  Man"  is  increasing  daily 
the  world  over,  and  no  Jewish  education  can  be  complete  that  does  not 
embody  within  it  a  comprehensive  knowledgeof  Jesus  the  Jew,  his  life, 
his  teachings,  and  the  causes  which  led  to  his  death.  .  .  . 

It  would  seem  to  be  in  the  highest  interest  of  the  modern  Jew  and 
Judaism  that  the  curriculum  of  at  least  every  reform  Jewish  Sabbath- 
school  should,  from  a  purely  historical  standpoint,  embrace  a  simple 
yet  comprehensible  history  of  the  life  of  Jesus,  and  its  wonderful  moral 

564 


Sesus  of  TCasaretb  from  tbe  present  Jewtsb  point  of  IDiew 


and  religious  influence,  in  order  that  the  rising  Jews  may  be  able  to 
appreciate  better  the  powerful  influence  Judaic  teachings  and  the  Bible 
have  had  upon  civilization,  and  the  exalted  place  given  by  the  world 
to  one  of  their  teachers  and  brethren,  who  lived  a  purely  Jewish  life 
and  taught  only  Jewish  precepts.  .  .  . 
September  26,  1899. 


From  GUST  A  V  GOTTHEIL,  Ph.D.,  Rabbi  Emeritus  of  Temple 
Ernanu-El,  New  York : 

The  keynote  of  prophetic  religion  of  the  Jewish  prophets  was  holi- 
ness of  life  and  purity  of  heart.  Love  and  mercy  shown  by  men,  one 
to  another,  make  up  the  acceptable  worship  of  the  Holy  One  of  Israel. 
To  place  the  Master  of  Nazareth  by  their  side  can  surely  be  no  dishonor 
to  him,  nor  can  it  dim  the  luster  of  his  name.  If  he  has  added  to  their 
spiritual  bequests  new  jewels  of  religious  truth,  and  spoken  words 
which  are  words  of  life,  because  they  touch  the  deepest  springs  of  the 
human  heart,  why  should  we  Jews  not  glory  in  him?  Show  us  the  man, 
help  us  to  understand  his  mind,  draw  from  his  face  the  thick  veil  be- 
hind which  his  personality  has  been  buried  for  the  Jewish  life  by  the 
heartless  zeal  of  his  so-called  followers,  and  you  will  find  the  Jewish 
heart  as  responsive  to  truth  and  light  and  love  as  that  of  all  other  na- 
tions. The  question  whether  Jesus  suffered  martyrdom  solely  for  his 
new  teachings  or  for  other  causes,  we  will  not  discuss.  The  crown  of 
thorns  on  his  head  makes  him  only  the  more  our  brother.  For  to  this 
day  it  is  borne  by  his  people.  Were  he  alive  to-day,  who,  think  you, 
would  be  nearer  his  heart — the  persecuted  or  the  persecutors  ? 

October  24,  1899. 


From  EMANUEL  WEILL,  Rabbi  of  the  Portuguese  Congregation, 
Paris,  France : 

I  do  not  know  the  secret  of  God,  but  I  believe  that  Jesus  and  Chris- 
tianity were  providential  means,  useful  to  the  Deity  in  guiding  all  men 
gradually,  and  by  an  effort,  keeping  pace  with  the  mental  state  of  the 
majority  of  men  from  paganism  up  to  the  pure  and  true  idea  of  the 
divinity. 

The  error — one  might  almost  say  a  fatal  one — of  Christianity  is  to 
believe  that  it  is  an  end  in  itself,  whereas  it  is  but  a  step,  and  as  error 
often  generates  evil,  Christianity  in  its  evolution  toward  its  end  has 
effected  side  by  side  much  good  as  well  as  much  harm. 

We  Jews  await  the  Christians  on  God's  appointed  day,  when,  all  hu- 
manity having  become  more  enlightened,  will  rally  to  the  spiritualistic 
principle  which  is  that  of  Judaism,  viz.  :  that  of  the  unity  and  the  per- 
fect spirituality  of  God,  in  opposition  to  any  incarnation  and  to  any 
trinitarian  idea  whatever. 

Meanwhile,  I  think  that  Jews  and  Christians,  divided  on  the  identi- 

565 


fication  of  Jesus  with  God,  but  both  in  accord  in  acknowledging  this 
God  the  same  for  all,  consider  themselves  children  of  the  same  Father, 
and  thus  love  one  another  with  brotherly  love. 
October  11,  1899.     

FromM.  KAYSERLING,  Ph.D.,  Rabbi,  Budapest,  Hungary: 

The  Jews  rejected  Jesus  as  the  Messiah  and  Redeemer,  but  they  rec- 
ognized him  as  "  the  extraordinary  man  "  who  first  showed  to  the  heathen 
world  the  way  to  natural  religion  and  moral  perfection.  "The  founder 
of  Christianity,"  says  the  pious  and  scholarly  Jacob  Emden  of  Altona, 
who  lived  about  the  middle  of  the  last  century,  "was  a  twofold  bene- 
factor to  the  world,  since,  on  the  one  hand,  he  strengthened  wi*,h  all  his 
might  the  doctrine  of  Moses  and  insisted  upon  its  eternal  validity  ;  and, 
on  the  other  hand,  drew  heathens  away  from  idolatry  and  obligated 
them  to  observe  the  seven  NoacUian  commandments  to  which  he  added 
moral  teachings.  The  alliance  of  the  nations  in  our  time  can  be  re- 
garded as  an  alliance  to  the  glory  of  God,  whose  aim  is  to  proclaim  over 
all  the  world  that  there  is  only  one  God  who  is  Master  in  heaven  and  on 
earth;  who  rewards  the  good  and  punishes  the  evil." 

This  is  the  opinion  of  the  immense  majority  of  the  Jews  of  our  epoch 
about  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  "the  extraordinary  man."  We  all  look  for- 
ward to  that  sublime  end  when  all  human  beings,  prompted  by  the  love 
of  fellow  men,  shall  recognize  God  and  worship  Him  in  full  harmony 
and  glory  as  the  one  only  God. 
November  20,  1899. 

From  DAVID  PHILIPSON,  D.D.,  Professor  in  Hebrew  Union  Collego, 
Rabbi  of  Mound  Street  Temple,  Cincinnati,  Ohio: 

There  is  no  backwardness  nor  hesitancy  on  the  part  of  modern  Jewii-li 
thought  in  acknowledging  the  greatness  of  the  teacher  of  Nazareth,  the 
sweetness  of  his  character,  the  power  of  his  genius.  Kut,  as  a  matter 
of  course,  we  accord  him  no  exceptional  position  as  the  flower  of  hu- 
manity, the  special  incarnation  of  the  Divinity.  Judaism  holds  that 
every  man  is  the  son  of  God.  Jesus  was  a  Jew  of  the  Jews.  The  ortho- 
dox Christianity  of  to-day  he  would  scarcely  recognize,  as  its  chief 
dogmas  were  unknown  to  him. 

September  19,  1899. 


From  EMIL  G.  HIRSCH,  Ph  D.,  LL.D.,  L.H.D.,  Rabbi  of  Sinai  Con- 
gregation, Professor  of  Rabbinical  Literature  in  Chicago  Uni- 
versity, Chicago,  111.  : 

.  .  .  For  me  Jesus  is  an  historical  reality.  To  understand  his 
work  and  correctly  to  value  his  mission,  one  must  bear  in  mind  his  own 
time.  Galilean  as  he  was,  he  must  have  grown  up  under  influences 
making  for  an  intense  Jewish  patriotism. 

566 


3esus  of  Basaretb  from  tbe  present  ^ewisb  point  of  Dtew 


.  .  .  Under  close  analysis,  his  precepts  will  be  found  to  contain  noth- 
ing that  was  new.  There  is  scarce  an  expression  credited  to  him  but 
has  its  analogon  in  the  well-known  sayings  of  the  rabbis.  He  did  not 
pretend  to  found  a  new  religion.  The  doctrines  he  developed  were  the 
familiar  truths  of  Israel's  prophetic  monotheism.  Nor  did  his  ethical 
proclamation  sound  a  note  before  unknown  in  the  household  of  the  syn- 
agogue or  in  the  schools.  He  was  in  method  a  wonderfully  gifted  Hag- 
gadist.  His  originality  lies  in  the  striking  form  which  he  understood 
to  give  to  the  old  vitalities  of  his  ancestral  religion.  He  moved  the 
heart  of  the  people. 

.  .  .  The  Jews  of  every  shade  of  religious  belief  do  not  regard  Jesus 
in  the  light  of  Paul's  theology.  But  the  gospel  Jesus,  the  Jesus  who 
teaches  so  superbly  the  principles  of  Jewish  ethics,  is  revered  by  all 
the  liberal  expounders  of  Judaism.  His  words  are  studied  ;  the  New 
Testament  forms  a  part  of  Jewish  literature.  Among  the  great  precep- 
tors that  have  worded  the  truths  of  which  Judaism  is  the  historical 
guardian,  none,  in  our  estimation  and  esteem,  takes  precedence  of  the 
rabbi  of  Nazareth.  To  impute  to  us  suspicious  sentiments  concerning 
him  does  us  gross  injustice.  We  know  him  to  be  among  our  greatest 
and  purest. 

January  26,  1901. 


MEMORANDUM  JOTTINGS 

Here  are  some  of  the  jottings  which  I  find  on  my  memorandum 
pad,  suggested  by  the  reading  of  these  Jewish  letters — letters 
which  it  would  be  difficult  to  read  without  feeling  that  at  last  Jew 
and  Christian,  after  a  horrible  nightmare  of  misunderstandings 
centuries  long,  are  coming  to  see  that  after  all  they  are  first 
cousins,  if  not  actually  brothers. 

1.  Right  nobly  is  it  in  some  of  these  Jewish  writers  to  say  that 
Jesus  is  not  to  be  blamed   for  those   awful   persecutions  com- 
mitted for  ages  in  His  name,  and  in  reverse  of  His  teachings.     As 
He  foretold,  many  were  called  by  His  name  whom  He  knew  not, 
and  who  knew  not  Him — false  prophets  who  came  in  sheep's 
clothing,  but  were,  within,  ravening  wolves.     Sometimes  these 
wolves  tore  the  Jews,  sometimes  they  tore  one  another,  and  some- 
times they  tore  the  real  Christians.     But  we  live,  all  of  us,  in  a 
better  time.     The  glowing  sky  is  not  sunset,  but  is  sunrise — sun- 
rise of  a  glorious  day  that  is  to  reveal  a  far  wider  brotherhood 
than  the  world  ever  heretofore  has  known. 

2.  Jewish  friends,  "Let  the  dead  past  bury  its  dead."     All  the 
world  is  bound  to  realize  sooner  or  later  that  your  history  has 

567 


BppcnOij 

been  of  inestimable  advantage  to  the  world.  Turn  your  faces  to 
that  rapidly  advancing  future.  The  divine  reason  will  appear 
for  all  the  sorrows  of  the  past  ages,  for  all  the  persecutions,  mis- 
apprehensions, including  the  errors  into  which  you  and  we  have 
fallen — largely  because  of  these,  not  in  spite  of  them,  the  Jewish 
race  will  arise  a  purified  flame. 

Look  the  future  in  the  face.  As  Shelley  has  put  it :  "The  past 
is  dead,  and  the  future  alone  is  living."  Why  not,  all  of  us,  per- 
mit the  ashes  to  grow  over  the  embers  of  hate,  and  let  the  raw- 
ness of  all  wounds,  real  or  imaginary,  heal  over  ?  Distance  now 
gives  a  wider  survey  and  a  juster  survey  to  both  Jew  and 
Christian. 

Waste  no  time  in  denying  hostility  to  Jesus  nineteen  hun- 
dred years  ago.  Who  alive  to-day  is  to  be  blamed  for  that  any 
more  than  for  the  forty  years  of  rebellion  in  the  wilderness  ?  No 
more  are  you  to  be  blamed  for  the  death  of  Jesus  than  are  we  to- 
day to  be  blamed  for  Washington  having  held  slaves,  and  for  the 
slave  auction-block  in  the  Nation's  capital,  and  for  the  slave  lash 
a  generation  ago. 

3.  The  Mosaic  system  of  ceremonies,  as  seen  before  the  de- 
struction of  Jerusalem,  was  beautiful.    How  mournfully  are  Jew- 
ish eyes  still  fixed  upon  the  broken  shell.     Friends,  lift  your  eyes 
and  see  what  came  out  of  that  shell ;  see  in  the  boughs  above,  the 
singing-bird  of  the  civilization  of  to-day.     Claim  it  all,  for  God 
has  given  it  to  the  world  through  your  people. 

From  the  matrix  of  the  Jewish  soul  sprang  Christianity. 
Heine,  the  great  Jewish  writer  of  the  last  century,  has  wittily  put 
it:  Half  the  civilized  world  worships  a  Jew,  the  other  half  a  Jewess. 

4.  Come,  children  of  the  prophets,  your  home,  for  a  season  at 
least,  is  in  the  West,  not  in  the  East.     Let  not  your  hearts  longer 
be  troubled.     Cease  dragging  about  with  you  that  monstrous 
corpse  of  memory — the  persecutions  committed  against  you,  no 
matter   how   frightfully   you    have   been    misunderstood   and 

•  wronged. 

Above  all  let  it  never  be  truly  said  that  the  Jew  has  suffered  so 
much,  and  come  so  far,  now  only  to  reap  despair  and  bitterness. 
There  are  two  Jewish  tendencies  to-day,  one  to  cold  materialism, 
the  motto  of  which  is  ' '  make  money,  eat,  drink,  be  merry,  to-mor- 
row ye  die";  the  other  is  upward,  the  path  the  prophets  walked. 

'  This  latter  tendency  must  be  made  to  dominate.  The  time  will 
come,  with  many  already  here,  when  the  Jew  will  turn  again 
to  his  sublime  mission  and  say,  like  Agassiz,  "I  have  not  time 
to  make  money." 

568 


3esu8  of  1Ra3aretb  from  tbe  present  3ewtsb  point  of  Diew 

Surely,  the  Jew  of  America  is  to  be  a  regenerating  educational 
force  to  the  Jews  of  all  the  world,  and  not  to  the  Jews  only.  It 
does  not  yet  appear  fully  what  he  shall  be  ;  but  in  some  way  it 
will  appear  that  this  mass  of  concentrated  human  energy  will 
arise  above  the  commercial,  the  material,  the  sordid,  which  so 
dominates  much  of  the  so-called  Christian  world.  The  Jewish 
genius  is  essentially  religious.  The  Jew  will  again  come  to  him- 
self and  find  his  center,  and  God  will  vindicate  His  purpose 
through  this  wonderful  people  from  Abraham's  time  to  the 
present. 

The  Jew  has  grown  strong  by  the  law  of  the  survival  of  the  fit- 
test. For  eighteen  centuries  he  has  not  known  what  security  is, 
always  living  by  his  resource  of  keenest  wit — the  feeblest  dying 
out.  Those  who  were  physically  strong  enough  and  mentally 
clever  enough,  escaped  destruction,  and  these  became  the  parents 
of  the  new  and  stronger  generation.  Thus  the  law  of  compensa- 
tion works  justice.  For  ages  the  Jew  was  compelled  to  be  a 
money-lender  as  the  business  of  such  an  one  was  held  to  be  dis- 
reputable for  Christians.  Thus  the  Jew  mastered  the  problems  of 
finance,  and  now  when  finance  rules  the  world,  the  Jew  is  natur- 
ally on  the  throne.  The  whirligig  of  time  is  twirled  by  a  hand 
that  cares  for  justice. 

5.  How  unseemly,  impossible,  that  it  should  prove  in  the  end 
that  they  who  have  been  to  the  world  messengers  of  God,  whose 
feet  have  been  beautiful  upon  the  mountain -tops  and  who  did  eat 
the  bread  of  angels,  should  now  forget  their  prophets  and  their 
God  and  grovel  in  materialism,  and  seek  to  satisfy  their  hunger 
with  husks.  No  ;  this  can  not  be.  This  people  have  done  too 
glorious  things  for  humanity,  for  such  an  ending.  They  have  in 
them  the  nobility  that  will  assert  itself.  They  are  born  for  great 
things  yet  to  be ;  they  have  been  made  in  large  molds.  They, 
like  the  best  of  us,  have  often  slipped,  but  are  now  coming  to 
themselves.  For  one  I  am  glad,  and  thank  God  for  it. 

Now  will  the  Christian  Church  permit  a  friendly  exhortation  : 
You  have  tried  everything  to  get  the  Jewish  people  to  understand 
Jesus  of  Nazareth,  except  one  thing,  love.  Try  that,  for  they 
believe  in  love;  and  you  believe  in  love.  Let  both  Jew  and 
Christian  get  on  this  common  ground,  and  have  respect  for  the 
honest  convictions  of  one  another,  and  then  both  may  clasp 
hands  and  look  into  each  other's  eyes,  and  repeat  the  words  uttered 
alike  by  Moses  and  by  Jesus  : 

"  THE  LORD  OUR  GOD  is  ONE  GOD.    AND  THOU  SHALT  LOVE 

569 


BppenOij 


HIM  WITH  ALL  THY  HEART,  AND  WITH  ALL  THY  SOUL,  AND 
WITH  ALL  THY  MIGHT." 

The  lightnings  from  Mount  Sinai  and  the  rays  of  light  and 
heat  from  Mount  Calvary  are  one,  and  will  yet  fuse  into  brother- 
hood all  peoples  of  the  earth. 

I.  K.  F. 


OTHER  TESTIMONY  TO  JESUS 

WILLIAM   McKINLEY. 

[A  Letter.    Washington,  D.C.,  1900.] 

The  religion  which  Christ  founded  has  been  a  mighty  influence  in  the 
civilization  of  the  human  race.  If  we  of  to-day  owed  to  it  nothing 
more  than  this,  our  debt  of  appreciation  would  be  incalculable.  The 
doctrine  of  love,  purity,  and  right-living  has  step  by  step  won  its  way 
into  the  heart  of  mankind,  has  exalted  home  and  family,  and  has  filled 
the  future  with  hope  and  promise. 

JEAN  JACQUES   ROUSSEAU. 

[COMPLETE  WORKS.    (Emilius.)    Edinburgh :  17T3,  vol.  11.,  pp.  215-218.] 

I  will  confess  to  you  that  the  majesty  of  the  Scriptures  strikes  me 
with  admiration,  as  the  purity  of  the  Gospel  has  its  influence  on  my 
heart.  Peruse  the  works  of  our  philosophers,  with  all  their  pomp  of 
diction;  how  mean,  how  contemptible  are  they,  compared  with  the 
Scriptures  !  Is  it  possible  that  the  sacred  personage  whose  history  they 
contain  should  be  Himself  a  mere  man  ?  .  .  .  Where  is  the  man,  where 
the  philosopher,  who  could  so  live  and  die,  without  weakness,  and  with- 
out ostentation  ?  When  Plato  describes  his  imaginary  righteous  man, 
loaded  with  all  the  punishments  of  guilt,  yet  meriting  the  highest  re- 
wards of  virtue,  he  describes  exactly  the  character  of  Jesus  Christ. 
The  resemblance  is  so  striking  that  all  the  Church  fathers  perceived  it. 

THOMAS   JEFFERSON. 
[WORKS.    Philadelphia :  1871,  vol.  lv.,  p.  479.] 

I  am  a  Christian  in  the  only  sense  in  which  He  [Christ]  wishes  any 
one  to  be :  sincerely  attracted  to  His  doctrines,  in  preference  to  all 
others;  ascribing  to  Him  every  human  excellence,  and  believing  He 
never  claimed  any  other. 

570 


of  toasaretb  from  tbe  present  $ew(sb  point  of  Diew 


WILLIAM   E.   GLADSTONE. 

[REVIEW  OF  ECCE  HOMO,  from  GLEANINGS  OF  PAST  YEARS.    New  York :  1879,  vol. 
iii.,  pp.  84,  93.] 

Through  the  fair  gloss  of  His  manhood,  we  perceive  the  rich  bloom 
of  His  divinity.  If  He  is  not  now  without  an  assailant,  at  least  He  is 
without  a  rival.  If  He  be  not  the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  the  Friend 
that  gives  Hislife  for  His  friends  and  that  sticketh  closer  than  a  brother, 
the  unfailing  Consoler,  the  constant  Guide,  the  everlasting  Priest  and 
King,  at  least,  as  all  must  confess,  there  is  no  other  to  come  into  His 
room. 

JOHANN  WOLFGANG  VON  GOETHE. 

[CONVERSATIONS  WITH  ECKERMANN.    London :  1874,  pp.  567-569.] 

If  I  am  asked  whether  it  is  in  my  nature  to  pay  Him  devout  rever- 
ence, I  say,  certainly.  I  bow  before  Him  as  the  divine  manifestation 
of  the  highest  principles  of  morality.  .  .  .  Let  mental  culture  go  on  ad- 
vancing, let  the  natural  sciences  go  on  gaining  in  depth  and  breadth, 
and  the  human  mind  expand  as  it  may,  it  will  never  go  beyond  the  ele- 
vation and  moral  culture  of  Christianity,  as  it  glistens  and  shines  forth 
in  the  Gospel.  .  .  . 

KALPH  WALDO  EMERSON. 

[PROSE  WORKS.    Boston :  1870,  vol.  i.,  pp.  69,  70.] 

Jesus  Christ  belonged  to  the  true  race  of  prophets.  He  saw  with  open 
eye  the  mystery  of  the  soul.  Drawn  by  its  severe  harmony,  ravished 
with  its  beauty,  He  lived  in  it,  and  had  His  being  there.  Alone  in  all 
history,  He  estimated  the  greatness  of  man.  One  man  was  true  to  what 
is  in  you  and  me.  He  saw  that  God  incarnated  Himself  in  man,  and 
evermore  goes  forth  anew  to  take  possession  of  His  world.  .  .  . 


FRANCOIS  P.  G.  GUIZOT. 

[MEDITATIONS  ON  THE  ESSENCE  OF  CHRISTIANITY.    New  York :  1865,  p.  320  et  seq.] 

The  supernatural  being  and  power  of  Jesus  may  be  disputed  ;  but  the 
perfection,  the  sublimity  of  His  acts  and  precepts,  of  His  life  and  His 
moral  law,  are  incontestable.  And  in  effect,  not  only  are  they  not  con- 
tested, but  they  are  admired  and  celebrated  enthusiastically,  and  com- 
placently too  ;  it  would  seem  as  if  it  were  desired  to  restore  to  Jesus 
as  man,  and  man  alone,  the  superiority  of  which  men  deprived  Him  in 
refusing  to  see  in  Him  the  Godhead, 

571 


NAPOLEON   BONAPARTE.* 
[JOHN  8.  C.  ABBOTT'S  LIFE  or  NAPOLEON,  vol.  ii.,  p.  612.] 

Alexander,  Caesar,  Charlemagne,  and  myself  founded  empires.  But 
on  what  did  we  rest  the  creations  of  our  genius?  Upon  force.  Jesus 
Christ  alone  founded  His  empire  upon  love,  and  at  this  hour,  millions 
of  men  would  die  for  Him.  .  .  . 

BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN. 

[LETTER  TO  PRESIDENT  STILES  OF  YALE  COLLEGE,  March  9, 1790.] 

I  think  His  [Jesus  Christ's]  system  of  morals  and  religion  as  He  left 
them  to  us,  the  best  the  world  ever  saw,  or  is  likely  to  see. 

JEAN  PAUL   RICHTER. 

[DAWNINGS  FOR  GERMANY.    Complete  Works,  pp.  33,  36.] 

It  concerns  Him  who,  being  the  holiest  among  the  mighty,  the  might- 
iest among  the  holy,  lifted,  with  His  pierced  hands,  empireB  off  their 
hinges,  turned  the  stream  of  centuries  out  of  its  channel,  and  still  gov- 
erns the  ages. 

JOHN  STUART  MILL. 
[THREE  ESSAYS  ON  RELIGION.    New  York :  1874.  pp.  253,  255.] 

Religion  can  not  be  said  to  have  made  a  bad  choice  in  pitching  on 
this  man  as  the  ideal  representative  and  guide  of  humanity  ;  nor  even 
now  would  it  be  easy,  even  for  an  unbeliever,  to  find  a  better  transla- 
tion of  the  rule  of  virtue  from  the  abstract  into  the  concrete  than  to 
endeavor  so  to  live  that  Christ  would  approve  our  life. 

THOMAS   CARLYLE. 
[SARTOR  RESARTUS,  pp.  155, 158.] 

If  thou  ask  to  what  length  man  has  carried  it  in  this  manner,  look  on 
our  divinest  symbol,  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  and  His  life  and  His  biography, 
and  what  followed  therefrom.  Higher  has  the  human  thought  not  yet 
reached  :  this  Christianity  and  Christendom — a  symbol  of  quite  peren- 
nial infinite  character,  whose  significance  will  ever  demand  to  be  anew 
inquired  into,  and  anew  made  manifest.  .  .  . 

"I'll is  testimony  from  Napoleon  has  been  much  disputed.  Dr.  Philip  Schaff, 
weighing  the  argument  for  and  against,  says  that  he  believes  that  It  is  authentic  in 
substance. 

572 


Jesus  of  flasaretb  from  tbe  present  Sewfsb  point  of  Diew 

WILLIAM   E.  LECKY. 
[HISTORY  OF  EUROPEAN  MORALS.    London :  1869,  vol.  II.,  p.  9.] 

It  may  be  truly  said  that  the  simple  record  of  three  short  years  of 
active  life  has  done  more  to  regenerate  and  soften  mankind  than  all  the 
disquisitions  of  philosophers  and  all  the  exhortations  of  moralists. 
This  has,  indeed,  been  the  wellspring  of  whatever  is  best  and  purest 
in  the  Christian  life.  Amid  all  the  sins  and  failings,  amid  all  the 
priestcraft  and  persecution  and  fanaticism,  that  have  defaced  the 
Church,  it  has  preserved,  in  the  character  and  example  of  its  Founder, 
an  enduring  principle  of  regeneration. 

JOSEPH   ERNEST  EENAN. 
[THE  LIFE  OF  JESUS.    New  York :  1864,  pp.  215, 365,  375,  376.] 

He  founded  the  pure  worship— of  no  age,  of  no  clime— which  shall 
be  that  of  all  lofty  souls  to  the  end  of  time.  Not  only  was  His  religion 
that  day  (John  iv.  24)  the  benign  religion  of  humanity,  but  it  was  the 
absolute  religion  ;  and  if  other  planets  have  inhabitants  endowed  with 
reason  and  morality,  their  religion  can  not  be  different  from  that  which 
Jesus  proclaimed  at  Jacob's  well.  .  .  . 

Whatever  may  be  the  surprises  of  the  future,  Jesus  will  never  be  sur- 
passed. His  worship  will  grow  young  without  ceasing;  His  legend  will 
call  forth  tears  without  end  ;  His  sufferings  will  melt  the  noblest  hearts  ; 
all  ages  will  proclaim  that  among  the  sons  of  men  there  is  none  born 
greater  than  Jesus. 


678 


THE     SECOND    COMING    OF    CHRIST— A    SUC 
CINCT  HISTORY 

BY   DANIEL   SEELYE   GREGORY,   D.D.,  LL.D. 


THE  legend  of  "The  Wandering  Jew,"  in  its  various  forms,  has  its 
basis  in  the  doctrine  of  the  Second  Coming  of  Christ,  or  of  His  personal 
return  to  this  world.  This  is  true  of  the  form  of  the  legend  that  under- 
lies Croly 's  romance,  the  Lord  Himself  having  given  assurance  of  His 
return  to  the  hero  of  the  work  and  the  arch-plotter,  in  the  words  of 
doom :  "Tarry  thou  till  I  come  ! "  The  doctrine  of  the  Second  Coming 
has  been  accepted  by  the  Christian  Church  and  embodied  in  its  creeds 
in  all  ages. 

The  Second  Advent  finds  its  analog  in  many  respects  in  the  First 
Advent,  and  that,  not  in  its  facts  only,  but  in  its  difficulties  as  well. 
According  to  the  Old  Testament,  a  great  Redeemer  was  to  appear;  he 
was  to  be  a  prophet,  priest,  and  king,  and  was  to  deliver  his  people  from 
their  sins  and  from  their  oppressors  ;  he  was  to  set  up  a  kingdom  that 
should  become  universal,  absorbing  all  earthly  kingdoms  ;  and  he  was 
to  exalt  his  people  to  the  summit  of  prosperity  and  glory.  These  pre- 
dictions turned  the  minds  of  the  whole  Jewish  race  toward  the  future, 
in  confident  expectation  of  the  coming  Messiah,  in  whose  birth  and 
career  they  all  anticipated  their  fulfilment.  Nevertheless,  tho  Christ 
came  indeed  fulfilling  prophecy,  it  was  "  in  a  way  which  no  man  did  an- 
ticipate or  could  have  anticipated." 

So  the  main  features  of  the  Second  Advent  have  been  prophetically 
presented  with  like  fulness,  and  yet,  as  of  old,  the  Church  has  had  to 
remain  "satisfied  with  the  great  truths  which  those  prophecies  unfold, 
and  leave  the  details  to  be  explained  by  the  event." 

The  many  theories  of  the  Second  Coming  of  Christ  and  of  the  millen- 
nium— or  the  thousand  years'  reign  of  Christ  at  the  end  of  time,  as 
connecting  with  that  coming — may  be  reduced  to  two,  one  based  upon 
the  literal  and  the  other  upon  the  spiritual  interpretation  of  the  Scrip- 
tures on  this  subject. 

1st.  The  literal,  or  Chiliastic,  notion  of  the  millennium,  as  held  by 
some  Christians,  was  derived  from  the  Jews,  and  was  largely  confined 
originally  to  the  converts  from  Judaism  to  Christianity.  The  Jewish 
doctrine  received  its  peculiar  form  from  Rabbi  Elias,  who  lived  about 
two  centuries  before  the  Christian  era.  According  to  this  ante-Jewish 
tradition : 

"The  world  is  to  last  seven  thousand  years— six  thousand  to  be  years 

574 


Second  Coming  of  Cbrtet— S  Succinct  t>i0torg 


of  toil  and  trouble,  and  the  seventh  thousand  to  be  a  grand  SABBATISM. 
It  is  to  be  ushered  in  by  the  advent  of  the  Messiah,  who  is  to  establish 
his  throne  at  Jerusalem.  The  Holy  City  is  to  be  rebuilt  with  surpass- 
ing magnificence,  as  described  by  Tobit  (xiii.,  xiv.);  the  Jews  are  to 
return  to  Palestine  ;  their  pious  ancest  rs  are  to  be  raised  from  the  dead 
and  reign  in  their  own  land,  with  their  offspring,  under  tlie  Messiah" 
(see  T.  O.  Summers,  in  Johnson's  "Universal  Cyclopedia,"  article  "  Mil- 
lennium"). 

Some  of  the  early  Christians — like  the  early  Jews,  pressed  with  perse- 
cutions and  longing  for  temporal  deliverance — adopted  this  literal  view, 
except  that  they  modified  it  by  recognizing  Jesus  as  the  true  Messiah, 
and  by  acknowledging  the  equality  of  Gentile  with  Jewish  believers  in 
the  millennial  age.  The  Thessalonian  Christians,  in  particular,  early 
developed  a  tendency  to  the  literal,  Chiliastic  interpretation,  which  was, 
however,  checked  and  corrected  by  Paul's  letters  to  them. 

But  the  first  teacher  who  is  clearly  recorded  as  having  adopted  the 
crude  Jewish  notion  was  Papias,  Bishop  of  Hierapolis,  in  Phrygia; 
altho  Cerinthus,  a  heretic  of  the  first  century,  is  said  to  have  held  it. 
According  to  Irenseus,  Papias  pretended  to  have  received  a  glowing 
tradition  direct  from  the  Apostle  John  embodying  and  enlarging  all  the 
Jewish  literalism. 

In  part  it  is  to  this  effect:  "The  days  shall  come  in  which  there 
shall  be  vines  which  shall  severally  have  ten  thousand  branches,  and 
every  one  of  these  shall  have  ten  thousand  lesser  branches,  and  every 
one  of  these  branches  shall  have  ten  thousand  twigs,  and  every  one  of 
these  twigs  shall  have  ten  thousand  clusters  of  grapes,  and  in  every  one 
of  these  clusters  shall  be  ten  thousand  grapes,  and  every  one  of  these 
grapes  being  pressed  shall  give  twenty-five  metreta's  of  wine  ;  and  when 
a  person  shall  take  hold  of  one  of  these  sacred  bunches,  another  shall 
cry  out,  '  I  am  a  better  bunch,  take  me,  and  by  me  bless  the  Lord.'  " 

Irenaeus  reports  similar  fanciful  traditions  respecting  extraordinary 
temporal  blessings  during  the  millennial  period.  Papias  taught  that 
Christ's  reign  on  earth  should  be  corporeal.  In  the  main,  Justin  Mar- 
tyr, Irenaeus,  Tertullian,  Nepos,  and  Lactantius  agree  with  Papias, 
teaching  the  Christians  under  their  instruction  these  views,  each  vary- 
ing the  details  according  to  his  own  fancy. 

The  disciples  of  Papias  and  their  successors  naturally  pressed  into 
their  service  Rev.  xx.  1-10,  interpreting  it  with  the  baldest  literalness. 

The  same  method  has  been  used  by  the  later  followers,  who  have 
largely  held  to  a  literal,  corporeal  reign  of  Christ  on  earth  for  a  thousand 
years.  There  has  often  been  coupled  with  this  view — growing  out  of 
Christ's  teaching  of  the  IMMINENCY  of  his  Second  Coming— a  belief  in 
the  IMMEDIACY  of  that  Coming. 

2d.  The  usual  or  Catholic  theory  of  the  millennium  has  its  basis  in 
the  spiritual,  rather  than  literal,  interpretation  of  the  Scriptures  on  this 
subject.  It  rejects  alike  Jewish  traditions  and  Patristic  fancies. 

According  to  this  view,  the  number  1,000  is  often  employed  in  the 


Scriptures  as  "denoting  a  definite  number  for  an  indefinite."  It  is  so 
used  manifestly  in  Psalm  xc.  4,  in  2  Peter  iii.  8,  and  in  Rev.  xx.  1-7. 
In  the  last  passage,  as  has  been  often  remarked,  it  is  "evidently  a  defi- 
nite number  for  an  indefinite, "  indicating  a  long  period.  The  entire 
passage  is  figurative,  in  keeping  with  the  enigmatical  book  in  which  it 
is  found.  The  angel  with  the  key  of  the  abyss,  a  chain  and  a  seal  to 
bind  and  confine  the  devil,  thrones  and  the  souls  of  martyrs  seated  upon 
them,  and  judgment  given  to  them — these  are  all  "pictorial  representa- 
tions of  the  circumscription  of  Satan's  power,  the  revival  of  the  martyr 
spirit  in  the  Church,  and  the  general  prevalence  of  truth  and  righteous- 
ness in  the  earth.  This  agrees  with  the  figurative  style  of  the  Apoca- 
lypse, and  corresponds  with  the  predictions  concerning  the  prosperity 
of  the  Church  in  the  last  days.  In  no  other  place  is  there  any  allusion 
to  a  millennium." 

This  interpretation,  it  is  held,  is  agreeable  to  the  style  of  prophecy, 
that  is  elsewhere  employed  in  the  Revelation  (compare  Isa.  xxvi. 
19;  Ezek.  xxxvii.  13,  14;  Hos.  vi.  2;  Rev.  xi.  7,  11).  This  spiritual 
view  also  agrees  with  the  paracletal  work  of  Christ,  while  the  Judaico- 
Christian  does  not;  it  is  favorable  to  the  efforts  of  the  Church  for  the 
conversion  of  the  world,  and  accords  with  the  general  teachings  of  the 
Scriptures  concerning  "the  last  things." 

But  while  the  literal  method  has  been  to  some  extent  followed,  there 
has  been  a  common  or  Catholic  Church-doctrine  which,  as  will  be  seen, 
has  alone  been  embodied  in  the  creeds  of  Christendom.  That  common, 
creedcd,  or  Catholic  doctrine  embraces  the  teachings  that — 

1st.  The  Second  Advent  of  Jesus  is  to  be  a  personal,  visible,  and 
glorious  advent  as  the  Son  of  God. 

2d.  It  is  to  be  preceded  by  the  universal  diffusion  of  the  Gospel,  the 
conversion  of  the  Jews  and  the  coming  of  Antichrist. 

3d.  It  is  to  be  accompanied  by  the  resurrection  of  the  dead,  just  and 
unjust,  the  general  judgment,  the  end  of  the  world,  and  the  consumma- 
tion of  Christ's  kingdom. 

The  cardinal  passages  of  Scripture  on  this  doctrine  are  Matthew  xxiv. 
and  the  two  Epistles  to  the  Thessalonians — the  latter  of  which  was  appar- 
ently rendered  necessary  by  the  development  of  the  teachings  in  the 
former.  It  is  not  possible  to  enter  here  into  a  detailed  interpretation 
of  these  passages.  Had  there  been  no  extraneous  influences  at  work, 
what  is  claimed  to  be  the  simple  and  natural  interpretation  of  these 
Scriptures,  which  has  always  been  in  accord  with  the  Catholic  doctrine 
embodied  in  the  creeds,  would  probably  have  continued  to  be  the  faith 
of  all  Christians. 

The  later-Jewish  doctrine  of  the  Messianic  kingdom  upon  earth  was 
a  main  influence  in  directing  the  new  development.  The  disciples  being 
Jews  were  naturally  infected  with  this  view,  and  did  not  rise  above  it 
till  after  the  experiences  of  Pentecost. 

Millenarianism  or  Chiliasm  naturally  arose  out  of  sympathy  with 
this  Jewish  materialism,  and  spread  to  some  extent  among  the  Jewish 

576 


Second  Coming  of  Cbrist— S  Succinct  Distort 


Christians  in  the  early  Church.  There  was  also  introduced  the  doctrine 
of  two  resurrections,  based  on  the  literal  understanding  of  Rev.  xx.,  un- 
modified by  the  teachings  of  Jesus  in  Matt.  xxiv.  With  the  Second 
Advent  of  Christ,  according  to  this  view,  is  to  take  place  the  first  resur- 
rection, that  of  the  righteous  dead  at  that  time.  Then  is  to  follow  a 
personal,  corporeal  reign  of  Christ  for  a  thousand  years — a  millennium 
— upon  the  renovated  earth.  At  the  close  of  this  millennial  period,  the 
second  resurrection,  that  of  the  righteous  and  the  wicked,  is  to  occur, 
and  the  end  of  the  world. 

As  already  hinted,  this  doctrine  at  first  started  and  became  prevalent 
among  tlie  Jewish,  as  distinguished  from  the  Gentile,  Christians.  Per- 
secutions arising  from  time  to  time,  and  the  distressed  conditions  re- 
sulting from  governmental  opposition  have,  however,  extended  to  the 
Gentile  Christians  belief  in  the  corporeal  features  of  Chiliasm.  They 
have  likewise  resulted  at  various  times  in  an  earnest  longing  for  the 
immediate  return  of  Christ,  in  an  expectation  of  His  immediate  setting 
up  of  His  kingdom  in  the  place  of  the  earthly  kingdoms,  and  in  belief  in 
the  imminence  of  His  advent. 

The  conflict  between  the  earlier  and  Catholic  doctrine  and  this  Chili- 
astic  outgrowth  may  readily  be  traced  in  the  history  of  the  Church.  It 
appeared  in  its  full  development,  first  of  all,  early  in  the  apostolic  age, 
in  connection  with  the  Church  at  Thessalonica.  The  two  earliest  of  the 
Pauline  Epistles — supposed  to  have  been  written  in  A.D.  52  and  58— are 
largely  taken  up  with  the  exhibition  and  refutation  of  the  departures 
from  the  Catholic  doctrine  on  this  subject. 

After  their  experience  at  Philippi,  Paul  and  Silas  passed  on  through 
Amphipolis  and  Apollonia  to  Thessalonica.  This  city— now  called  in 
slightly  changed  form  Salonica — was  a  great  maritime  city  and  the 
capital  of  the  first  division  of  Macedonia,  and  it  always  had  a  large 
Jewish  population.  As  Antioch  was  the  natural  center  for  Christian 
work  in  Asia  Minor,  so  Thessalonica  was  one  of  the  best  strategic  points 
— if  not  the  best— for  beginning  the  conquest  of  Europe.  This  was 
recognized  by  Paul  himself,  who,  inspired  with  the  great  purpose  of 
making  the  empire  of  Christ  coterminous  with  that  of  Rome,  wrote, 
only  a  few  months  after  leaving  Thessalonica  (1  Thess.  i.  8),  that  "from 
them  the  word  of  the  Lord  had  sounded  forth  like  a  trumpet,  not  only 
in  Macedonia  and  Achaia,  but  in  every  place." 

The  preaching  that  led  to  the  expulsion  of  Paul  and  Silas  from  the 
city  (see  Acts  xvii.  1-10)  furnishes  the  key  to  the  Epistles  written  a 
little  later.  It  .was  the  doctrine  of  the  Kingdom  of  God.  The  accusa- 
tion brought  against  them  was  that  they  were  proclaiming  another  King 
than  Caesar  (Acts  xvii.  7).  In  writing  to  them  Paul  accordingly  re- 
minds them  of  his  exhortations  and  entreaties,  that  they  should  "walk 
worthy  of  God  who  called  them  to  his  Kingdom  and  Glory"  (1  Thess. 
ii.  12),  and  addresses  them  as  those  who  had  "suffered  affliction  for  the 
sake  of  that  Kingdom"  (2  Thess.  i.  5).  Christ's  Second  Coming  had 
evidently  been  a  chief  topic  of  Paul's  preaching  to  them. 

37  577 


The  brevity  of  the  Apostle's  stay  in  the  city  gave  little  opportunity 
for  instructing  and  grounding  tlie  Christians,  chiefly  Gentiles,  in  the 
Christian  system;  but  they  appear  to  have  continued  steiifast  in  the 
faith  in  the  severe  persecutions  and  afflictions  that  followed  (1  Thess. 
ii.  14;  iii.  3;  2  Thess.  i.  4).  Nevertheless  there  were  some  peculiar 
aspects  of  the  doctrine  of  the  Second  Coming  toward  which  their  trials 
seemed  naturally  to  push  them.  Looking  upon  it  as  the  glorious  com- 
ing of  the  Lord  for  deliverance  (1  Thess.  i.  10),  some  came  to  believe  in 
the  imminency,  if  not  the  immediacy,  of  the  Second  Advent ;  and  so  gave 
up  laboring  for  their  own  support,  became  burdensome  to  the  brethren, 
and  encouraged  irregularities  by  their  mode  of  life.  Moreover,  there 
arose  a  perplexity  about  the  case  of  those  who  should  fall  asleep  before 
the  Second  Coming. 

This  state  of  things  led  Paul,  toward  the  close  of  ">3  A.I>.,  to  write 
from  Athens  his  First  Epistle  to  the  Thessalonians,  to  give  specific  in- 
struction regarding  these  points.  His  main  theme  is  the  consula/imi 
from  the  hope  of  the  Second  Coming  of  the  Lord.  The  leading  word.s  in 
the  Epistle  (as  in  2  Thessalonians)  are  Parousia  (advent,  or  appearing) 
and  Affliction.  The  prominence  in  it  of  the  coming  of  the  Lord  is 
shown  by  the  fact  that  each  chapter  rises  to  and  rests  in  that  Coming  as 
its  conclusion  (seech,  i.  10;  ii.  20;  iii.  13;  iv.  17,  18;  v.  23). 

The  Second  Epistle  was  written  to  the  Thessalonians  in  A.D.  53,  from 
Corinth.  The  former  letter  had  produced  salutary  results,  on  which  the 
Apostle  congratulates  them  ;  but  their  manifold  tribulations  on  account 
of  the  faith  had  caused  the  opinion  that  the  Lord's  coming  would  take 
place  immediately ,  to  gain  ground  rapidly  among  them.  This  hope 
was  fostered  by  some  among  them  who  claimed  to  have  the  "spirit  of 
prophecy,"  and  it  was  also  thought  to  be  favored  by  Paul's  own  teach- 
ings (2  Thess.  ii.  2).  In  consequence  of  this,  the  habits  of  idleness  and 
irregularity  had  increased.  Moreover,  the  false  Jewish  teachers  were 
beginning  to  lead  the  Thessalonian  Christians  to  look  upon  "the  Day 
of  the  Lord,"  according  to  the  Old-Testament  view  (Isa.  xiii.  ;  Joel  ii.  ; 
Amos  v.  18),  as  a  Day  of  Judgment,  rather  than  of  deliverance  and  glory. 
The  aim  of  the  Second  Epistle  is  to  meet  the  new  needs  that  had 
arisen. 

It  will  be  seen  from  this  outline  view  that  the  Epistles  to  the  Thessa- 
lonians bear  a  relation  to  the  Second  Advent  of  Christ  similar  to  that 
of  the  Book  of  Daniel  to  his  First  Advent.  They  were  the  guide-book 
for  that  age  and  for  the  Church  of  the  after-ages.  In  conjunction  with 
the  teaching  of  our  Lord  Himself  in  Matt,  xxiv.,  their  instructions  and 
directions  would  appear  to  be  sufficiently  full  and  explicit.  For  the 
time  being  the  Chiliastic  views  seem  to  have  disappeared  from  the 
Church,  and  the  Catholic  doctrine  to  have  held  full  sway. 

A  new  development  of  Chiliasin  took  place  toward  the  close  of  the 
second  century.  It  resulted  from  the  persecuting  hand  of  the  govern- 
ment being  laid  heavily  upon  the  Church. 

It  is  not  necessary  here  to  enter  into  the  causes  of  the  persecutions  by 

578 


Second  Coming  of  Gbrist— a  Succinct  tnstorg 


the  Romans.  It  is  enough  to  note  that  the  ideas  of  religious  freedom  in 
the  modern  world  are  quite  alien  to  those  of  the  ancient  world.  There 
were  none  but  state  religions  and  national  gods.  Cicero  lays  down  as 
the  fundamental  maxim  of  legislation  in  ancient  Romanism,  that  "no 
man  shall  have  for  himself  particular  gods  of  his  own ;  no  man  shall 
worship  by  himself  any  new  or  foreign  gods,  unless  they  are  recognized 
by  the  public  laws."  And  so  Christianity  came  necessarily  into  col- 
lision with  the  laws  of  the  state. 

The  bloody  persecutions,  from  the  last  half  of  the  second  century  on- 
ward, were  the  inevitable  outcome  of  this  natural  and  essential  antag- 
onism ;  but  even  in  the  opening  half  of  the  second  century  the  Christians 
were  subjected  to  sore  trials  such  as  those  from  which  the  Thessalonians 
suffered.  In  passing  through  these,  their  minds  seem  to  have  turned 
again,  says  Neander,  to  "  the  idea  of  the  millennial  reign,  which  the 
Messiah  was  to  set  up  on  earth.  ...  In  the  midst  of  persecutions,  it 
was  a  solace  and  support  to  the  Christians  to  anticipate  that  even  upon 
this  earth,  the  scene  of  their  sufferings,  the  Church  was  destined  to  tri- 
umph in  its  perfected  and  glorified  state."  In  some  regions  this  view 
took  on  a  more  spiritual  form  ;  while  in  others,  as  in  Phrygia,  the  nat- 
ural home  of  a  sensual,  enthusiastic  religious  spirit,  "  Chiliasm  appeared 
in  its  crass  and  grossly  conceived  form  in  which  the  earthly  Jewish 
mind  had  depicted  it." 

Among  the  Apostolic  Fathers,  in  the  second  century,  the  doctrine 
appears  in  the  writings  of  Barnabas,  Hermas,  and  Papias,  Bishop  of 
Hierapolis,  only,  the  last  named  teaching  it  in  its  grossest  form.  As 
Dr.  Shedd  has  said  ("History  of  Christian  Doctrine,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  390) : 
"There  are  no  traces  of  Chiliasm  in  the  writings  of  Clement  of  Rome, 
Ignatius,  Polycarp,  Tatian,  Athenagorus,  and  Theophilus  of  Antioch." 
He  adds:  "The  inference  from  these  facts,  then,  is  that  this  tenet  was 
not  the  received  faith  of  the  Church  certainly  down  to  the  year  150.  It 
was  held  only  by  individuals."  Among  the  really  masterful  scholars, 
ecclesiastics,  and  theologians,  it  had  not  a  single  advocate.  That  it 
was  not  the  faith  of  the  Apostolic  Church  is  further  evident  from  the 
fact  that  it  was  not  embodied  in  the  so-called  Apostles'  Creed,  which  is 
"  undoubtedly  the  substance  of  the  short  confessions  of  faith  which  the 
catechumens  of  the  Apostolic  Church  were  accustomed  to  make  upon 
entering  the  Church." 

The  period  from  150  A.D.  to  250  has  been  called  "the  blooming  age  of 
Millenarianism  "  It  was  in  this  period  of  bitter  and  increased  perse- 
cution that  Irenseus  and  Tertullian  came  forward  as  its  advocates,  giv- 
ing glowing  descriptions  of  the  millennial  reign.  "  Antichrist,  together 
with  all  the  nations  that  side  with  him,  will  be  destroyed.  All  earthly 
empires,  and  the  Roman  in  particular,  will  be  overthrown.  Christ  will 
appear,  and  will  reign  a  thousand  years,  in  corporeal  presence  on  earth, 
in  Jerusalem,  which  will  be  rebuilt  and  made  the  capital  of  His  king- 
dom. The  patriarchs,  prophets,  and  all  the  pious,  will  be  raised  from 
the  dead,  and  share  in  the  felicity  of  this  kingdom.  The  New  Jerusa- 

579 


appendix 


lem  is  depicted  in  the  most  splendid  colors"  (Shedd,  "History  of  Chris- 
tian Doctrine,  vol.  ii..  p.  390). 

But  even  Irenaeus  and  Tertullian,  in  presenting  "brief  synoptical 
statements  of  the  authorized  faith  of  the  Church,"  in  their  writings 
against  heretics,  make  no  mention  of  the  Millenarian  tenet  as  belonging 
to  that  faith. 

The  third  century,  chiefly  in  its  first  half,  witnessed  the  strenuous 
discussion  that  seems  practically  to  have  brought  to  an  end,  for  the 
time  at  least,  the  tendency  in  the  Church  to  accept  the  Chiliastic  doc- 
trine. This  was  conducted  in  the  Alexandrian  School,  under  the  lead 
of  three  great  teachers,  Clement  of  Alexandria,  Origen  his  pupil,  and 
Dionysius  the  pupil  of  Origen.  They  did  not  reject  the  Apocalypse, 
but  addressed  themselves  to  opposing  the  grossly  literal  interpretations 
put  upon  it  by  the  Chiliasts. 

The  method  adopted  by  Bishop  Dionysius  of  Alexandria  is  of  pecu- 
liar interest,  as  showing  what  may  be  accomplished  by  candid  Christian 
discussion.  Neander  gives  a  somewhat  detailed  account  of  his  course 
("Church  History,"  vol.  i.,  p.  452).  Nepos,  a  pious  Egyptian  bishop 
belonging  to  the  region  of  Arsinoe",  and  who  was  a  devoted  friend  of  the 
sensual  Chiliasm,  wrote  a  book  against  the  Alexandrian  school,  entitled 
"A  Refutation  of  the  Allegorists."  "The  book  seems  to  have  found 
great  favor  with  the  clergy  and  laity  in  the  above-mentioned  district. 
Great  mysteries  and  disclosures  of  future  events  were  supposed  to  be 
found  here  ;  and  many  engaged  with  more  zeal  in  the  study  of  the  book 
and  theory  of  Nepos  than  in  that  of  the  Bible  and  its  doctrines."  So 
zealous  did  his  disciples  become  for  this  tenet  that  they  brought  the 
charge  of  heresy  against  all  who  refused  to  accept  it.  Whole  churches 
separated  themselves  from  their  communion  with  the  mother-church  at 
Alexandria.  After  the  death  of  Nepos,  a  country  priest,  Coracion,  took 
the  leadership  of  this  party. 

Neander  gives  an  interesting  account  of  the  way  in  which,  by  instruc- 
tion and  discussion,  the  good  and  wise  Bishop  of  Alexandria,  Diony- 
sius, led  Coracion  back  to  the  faith.  This  happened  in  the  year  255. 

"  Having  restored  the  unity  of  faith  among  his  own  churches,"  Diony- 
sius wrote  his  work  on  the  Promises,  for  the  instruction  of  the  churches. 
By  the  opening  of  the  fourth  century  Chiliasm  seems  to  have  almost 
disappeared  from  the  Church,  as  is  shown  by  the  statements  of  Euse- 
bius,  the  church  historian.  Describing  the  writings  of  Papias,  Eusebius 
remarks  that  they  contain  "matters  rather  too  fabulous,"  among  which 
he  enumerates  the  opinion  of  Papias  that  "there  would  be  a  certain 
millennium  after  the  resurrection,  and  that  there  would  be  a  corporeal 
reign  of  Christ  on  this  very  earth."  The  return  to  the  Catholic  doc- 
trine on  the  subject  seems  therefore  to  have  been  quite  general  before 
the  year  400. 

The  history  of  the  Chiliastic  doctrine  from  the  opening  of  the  fifth 
century  may  be  briefly  summarized,  since  its  manifestations  have  been 
only  sporadic  and  temporary. 

580 


Second  Coming  of  Gbrist— B  Succinct 


As  the  tenth  century  drew  to  a  close  there  arose  "  an  undefined  fear 
and  expectation  among  the  masses  that  the  year  1000  would  witness  the 
advent  of  the  Lord,"  but  this  passed  away  with  the  century. 

At  the  time  of  the  Reformation,  the  doctrine  was  revived  by  the 
fanatical  Anabaptists,  Mtinzer  and  his  followers,  wrho  attempted  to  put 
down  all  temporal  sovereignty  and  to  establish  the  kingdom  of  the  saints 
with  fire  and  sword.  They  were,  however,  vigorously  opposed  by  Luther, 
Melancthon,  Calvin,  and  the  other  great  reformers,  arid  their  military 
forces  were  defeated  and  crushed  and  their  leaders  slain  at  Miihlhausen 
in  1525  and  at  Minister  in  1535.  'Leading  symbols  of  the  Reformation 
period  strongly  condemn  Chiliasm,  e.g  ,  the  Augsburg  Confession,  the 
Belgic  Confession,  and  the  English  Confession  of  Edward  VI. 

The  history  of  the  doctrine  during  the  nineteenth  century  is  well 
summarized  by  Dr.  Shedd  : 

"During  the  present  century,  individual  minds  in  England  and 
America,  and  upon  the  Continent  of  Europe,  have  attempted  to  revive 
the  theory— in  some  instances  in  union  with  an  intelligent  and  earnest 
orthodoxy,  in  others  in  connection  with  an  uneducated  and  somewhat 
fanatical  pietism.  The  first  class  is  represented  by  Delitzsch  and  Au- 
berlen  in  Germany,  and  by  Gumming,  Elliott,  and  Bonar  in  Great 
Britain  ;  the  second  class  by  the  so-called  Adventists  and  Millerites  in 
the  United  States." 

The  Millerite  movement,  started  in  1831  by  William  Miller,  an  Ameri- 
can, who  predicted  that  Christ's  Second  Coining  and  the  end  of  the 
world  would  take  place  in  1843,  received  what  was  practically  its  death- 
blow iu  the  failure  of  the  prediction  to  meet  with  accomplishment  at 
the  appointed  time.  Substantially  the*same  classes  of  people  are,  how- 
ever, to  be  found  among  the  Adventists,  or  Second  Adventists,  of  the 
present  time,  including  a  considerable  number  of  immigrant  foreigners, 
especially  Scandinavians.  Some  of  these  hold  to  the  doctrine  of  the 
annihilation  of  the  wicked  and  to  that  of  the  sleep  of  the  dead  until  the 
resurrection.  The  approach  of  the  twentieth  century  seems  to  have 
given  an  impulse  to  the  Adventist  movement,  altho  it  has  not  changed 
the  character  or  quality  of  its  advocates. 

The  survey  thus  made  of  the  history  of  the  Church,  ancient,  medieval, 
and  modern,  brings  out  the  fact  that  the  Catholic  doctrine,  as  already 
outlined,  has  always  been  the  Church  doctrine.  The  Chiliastic  views 
based  upon  the  literal  interpretation  of  the  Scriptures  bearing  upon  the 
subject  have  never  been  generally  accepted.  The  facts,  as  summarized 
by  Dr.  Shedd  ("History  of  Christian  Doctrine,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  398),  are  as 
follows : 

"  1\  That  Millenarianism  was  never  the  ecumenical  faith  of  the 
Church  and  never  entered  as  an  article  into  any  of  the  creeds. 

"2  That  Millenarianism  has  been  the  opinion  of  individuals  and 
parties  only — some  of  whom  have  stood  in  agreement  with  the  Catholic 
faith,  and  some  in  opposition  to  it." 

581 


REASONS  FOR  THE  BELIEF  THAT  CHRIST  MAY 
COME  WITHIN  THE  NEXT  TWENTY  YEARS 

Bv    ARTHUR   T.   PIERSON,    D.D. 


Is  the  day  of  Christ  near  at  hand  ? 

This  question  is  attracting  much  attention  as  this  new  century  begins, 
and  wise  men  are  watching  for  the  morning  star,  which  is  the  herald  of 
the  new  dawn. 

Imminence  is  a  word  used  for  the  union  of  the  certainty  of  an  event 
with  the  uncertainty  of  its  time.  One  text  suffices  to  show  that  such  immi- 
nence is,  in  the  Scripture,  characteristic  of  the  Lord's  return :  "Be  ye 
also  ready  ;  for  in  such  an  hour  as  ye  think  not,  the  Son  of  Man  coin- 
eth"  (Matt.  xxiv.  44).  Such  an  exhortation  excludes  mere  argument. 
The  certainty  of  the  event  is  assured,  for  "  the  Son  of  Man  cometh  ; "  the 
uncertainty  of  the  time  is  conceded,  for  it  is  "in  an  hour  that  ye  think 
not"  or  as  verse  36  adds,  "of  that  day  and  hour  knoweth  no  man." 

In  a  broader  sense,  the  word  imminent  is  used  to  express  the  idea 
that  the  event  is  impending — nigh  at  hand.  True,  it  may  be  unwise  to 
attempt  to  fix  the  very  "day  and  hour,"  since  these  are  declared  to  lie 
among  the  divine  secrets.  Yet  it  may  be  both  possible  and  proper  to 
observe  carefully  the  signs  which  are  to  precede  or  accompany  Christ's 
reappearing,  and  even  the  mistakes  of  those  who  have  made  erroneous 
calculations  as  to  the  time  may  serve  only  to  narrow  the  circle  within 
which  the  truth  is  to  be  found.  We  shall  therefore  inquire  briefly 
whether  there  is  any  reason  to  look  for  the  speedy  reappearing  of  the 
Son  of  Man,  and,  without  committing  ourselves  to  all  the  opinions 
which  follow,  we  may  state  the  grounds  on  which  such  conclusions 
have  been  reached  by  many  devout  students  of  the  subject. 

The  appeal  must,  of  course,  be  to  the  Holy  Oracles,  if  we  are  to  get 
any  safe  response.  Seven  signs  hinted  at  in  the  Word  of  God  may  be 
selected,  as  prominent: 

(1)  A  widespread  witness  to  Christ,  with  (2)  a  widespread  decline 
in  godliness.  (3)  A  marked  movement  among  the  Jews,  with  (4)  the 
fulness  of  the  Gentiles.  (5)  A  singularly  unresting  state  of  society, 
with  (0)  a  daring  development  of  iniquity  and  (7)  a  confident  sense  of 
false  security.  These  seven  indications  must  be  studied  in  the  light  of 

582 


tbat  Cbrist  itoas  Gome  in  tbe  IRejt  Cwents  lears 


seven  conspicuous  passages  of  Scripture,  such  as  Matt.  xxiv. ,  Luke  xxi., 
Horn,  xi.,  2  Thess.  ii.,  2  Peter  iii.,  2  Tim.  iii.,  and  Jude. 

It  may  be  well  to  add  that,  if  such  conclusion  hung  upon  any  one  of 
these  signs  alone,  it  might  be  more  than  doubtful ;  but,  when  all  these 
unite,  they  serve  as  far  safer  guides  ;  as  a  cable  may  be  unbreakable,  any 
one  of  whose  separate  strands  would  easily  part  under  severe  tension. 

Thoughtful  observers  of  events,  who  are  at  the  same  time  prayerful 
students  of  Scripture,  have  come  to  feel  that  there  is  a  manifold  and  re- 
markable preparation  for  the  "Parousia"  or  personal  coming  of  Christ; 
and  that  the  existing  state  of  both  the  church  and  the  world  seems  to 
demand  His  coming  as  the  only  solution  of  the  problems  of  prophecy 
and  of  history. 

The  present  drift  of  society  is  toward  anarchy,  a  drift  that  has  been 
peculiarly  rapid  during  the  last  quarter-century.  Socialism,  commun- 
ism, nihilism,  and  the  hot  battle  between  capital  and  labor,  monopoly 
and  poverty,  are  the  dominant  facts  and  forces  iii  this  war,  now  being 
waged,  with  increasing  violence  and  desperateness,  against  all  govern- 
inent.  There  is  also  a  strong  drift  in  the  church  toward  apostasy. 
Witness  the  advance  of  Romanism,  ritualism,  and  rationalism,  even  in 
Protestant  churches  and  communities.  In  society  at  large  there  is  a 
corresponding  advance  of  materialism,  agnosticism,  and  infidelity  ;  and 
the  polite  disguises  of  science,  culture,  and  criticism  do  not  hide  the 
true  features  and  forms  which  they  clothe,  but  can  not  conceal. 

Who  can  fail  to  see  the  trend  of  the  Jews  toward  national  rehabilita- 
tion and  the  colonization  of  Palestine,  while  at  the  same  time  the  church 
is  fettered  by  secularism  on  the  one  hand  and  skepticism  on  the  other  ? 
Side  by  side  with  these  signs  there  is  the  opening  of  the  world  to  the 
Gospel,  the  world-wide  circulation  of  the  Bible  in  over  four  hundred 
tongues,  the  network  of  missionary  societies  wrapping  the  globe,  and 
the  uprising  of  Christian  young  men  and  women  in  an  unparalleled  cru- 
sade of  missions.  All  these  are  like  fingers  all  pointing  in  one  direction 
— the  Sunrise  of  the  Ages. 

Many  other  Scriptures,  besides  those  already  cited,  startle  us  from  our 
apathy,  especially  when  we  compare  them.  Take,  for  example,  Matt, 
xiii.  and  Rev.  ii.-iii.  The  seven  parables  in  the  former  and  the  seven 
letters  to  the  churches  in  the  latter  appear  to  correspond  chronologically. 
In  Matthew,  the  last  scene  shows  the  dragnet—  the  obvious  metaphor  for 
world-wide  evangelization.  In  the  Apocalypse,  the  last  rebuke  is  to 
Laodicea—  the  self-deceived  and  self-sufficient  church,  that  shuts  in 
worldliness  and  shuts  out  Christ.  When  in  history  did  those  two  condi- 
tions ever  meet  as  they  do  now?  On  one  hand  a  wealthy,  self-satisfied, 
lukewarm  Christianity,  and  on  the  other  a  casting  of  the  Gospel  net  into 
the  world  sea,  and  gathering  of  every  kind  of  fish  !  For  the  first  time  in 
this  gospel  age,  ecclesiastical  degeneracy  and  evangelistic  activity  curi- 
ously blending— fulfilling  before  our  eyes  our  Lord's  paradox — world- 
wide witness  side  by  side  with  love  waxing  cold  ! 

One  remark  may  be  added  as  to  the  "times  of  the  Gentiles." 

583 


There  is  a  remarkable  consensus  of  opinion  that  it  is  from  Nebuchad- 
nezzar— the  world  king  and  head  of  gold — that  the  "  ti  iiies  of  the  genti  les  " 
date.  His  time  was  about  600  u.c.  If  the  "seven  times"  or  seven 
years,  of  Dan.  iv.  25,  represent,  as  is  supposed,  seven  periods  of  3IK) 
years  each  (or  seven  times  twelve  months  of  thirty  year-days),  then  the 
full  seven  times  from  Nebuchadnezzar  to  the  end  would  be  2,520  years, 
and  reckoning  from  600  u.c.  this  brings  us  to  1920  A.D.  ,  or  thereabouts. 
These  2,520  years  appear  to  be  divided  into  two  exactly  equal  periods 
of  1,260 years  each,  or  "forty  and  two  months,"  or  "a  time,  times  and 
half  a  time"  (i.e.,  three  and  a  half  of  these  prophetic  years)  (Rev.  xi.  2, 
3.,  and  xii.  14). 

As  to  the  tilling  up  of  the  1,260  days  of  the  latter  half,  the  historic 
correspondences  are  so  remarkable  that  at  least  ten  different  methods  of 
computation  seem  to  point  to  the  same  precise  period — an  interval  of 
time  lying  somewhere  between  1880  and  1920,  the  uncertainty  of  the 
exact  time  of  the  end  resulting  from  the  difficulty  of  fixing  the  exact 
date  of  the  beginning.  But  it  is  this  convergence  of  prophetic  and  his- 
toric times  at  some  point  within  these  forty  years  which  has  awakened 
such  a  widespread  interest  in  the  imminence  of  our  Lord's  coming. 
And,  surely,  as  our  Lord  has  taught  us,  if  it  behooves  us  to  observe  the 
signs  of  the  weather,  we  should  not  be  indifferent  to  the  signs  on  God's 
greater  horizon,  which  to  watchful  souls  indicate  the  approach  of  the 
day  of  the  Lord  (Matt.  xvi.  1-3). 

Upon  the  ten  different  methods  of  computation  referred  to  above,  it 
may  be  well  to  expand  a  little,  without  committing  oneself  to  the  posi- 
tions taken.  No  one,  however,  can  appreciate  the  argument,  whatever  be 
its  worth,  who  does  not  understand  the  numerical  (•ystein  which  mani- 
festly pervades  the  whole  Word  of  God,  and  which  constitutes  a  sort  of 
mathematical  framework  upon  which  the  whole  written  Revelation  is 
constructed  ;  and  not  only  so,  but  this  same  numerical  structure  pervades 
also  all  the  works  of  God  in  Creation,  and  all  the  workings  of  God  in 
human  history.  Astronomy,  chemistry,  botany,  biology,  theology,  all 
obey  one  mathematical  law,  and  it  must  be  a  prejudiced  mind  that  re- 
fuses to  recognize  this  fact.  '  The  orbits  of  the  planets  and  the  spiral 
course  of  the  leaf-buds  on  the  trees,  the  proportions  and  dimensions  of 
crystals,  the  octaves  of  sound  and  of  color — these  and  many  other  opera- 
tions, forces  and  forms  of  nature  conform  to  strict  mathematical  laws. 
From  Sirius  down  to  the  invisible  atom  there  is  a  uniform  system,  and 
it  tells  of  the  one  Designer  and  Creator.  Once  let  this  fact  be  admitted 
and  it  becomes  no  novelty  to  us  to  find  evidences  of  similar  mathematical 
precision  in  the  periods  of  history.  Let  us,  therefore,  in  conclusion, 
glance  at  the  various  positions  taken  by  devout  students  of  history  and 
prophecy,  and  impartially  survey  the  outlook  from  their  points  of  view. 

1.  The  first  method  of  computation,  already  referred  to,  as  fixing  the 
present  period  as  approximately  "the  time  of  the  end"  is  known  as  "  the 
times  of  the  Gentiles,"  seven  times,  or  years,  each  consisting  of  360  year- 
days,  or  a  sum-total  of  2,520  years.  Of  this  period,  Professor  Totten,  of 

584 


JBelfef  tbat  Gbrtst  /Bbag  Come  in  tbe  TRcrt  Cwentg  fears 


New  Haven,  following  the  lead  of  the  British  Chronological  Association, 
says : 

"Nabopolassar  shook  off  the  yoke  of  Assyria,  and,  by  thus  assuming 
the  crown  of  Babylon,  commenced  the  'times  of  the  Gentiles.'  His 
accession  took  place  in  the  seventh  civil  (first  sacred)  month  of  the  year 
3377  A.M.  The  '  times  of  the  Gentiles'  therefore  ran  out  2,520  years 
thereafter,  or  in  March,  5897  A.M.  (A.D.  1899)." 

Thus  by  another  method  of  computing  the  times  of  the  Gentiles,  he 
arrives  at  the  present  period  as  at  least  the  beginning  of  the  end. 

"Joshua's  Long  Day  was  the  last  day  in  broad  prophetic  chronology 
which  is  to  be  wholly  counted  as  solar  time.  Since  that  day,  the  mil- 
lenaries have  been  '  shortened  '  to  lunar  years.  The  sum  of  the  2,555£  -}- 
'  long  '  or  solar  years  up  to  that  day,  and  the  3,444f  -f-  '  shortened  '  or 
lunar  years,  from  thence  to  the  vernal  equinox  of  1899  AD.,  is  exactly 
6,000,  and  accurately  terminates  the  sixth  millennary  since  creation." 

2.  Secondly,  the  Sabbatic  system,   impressed  on   the  whole  face  of 
Scripture  history,  affords,  as  many  think,  a  very  obvious  key  to  the  di- 
vine chronology.     This  Sabbatic  system  reaches  back  to  Eden  and  char- 
acterizes the  whole  annals  of  the  world.     There  was  first  consecrated  the 
seventh  day,  then  the  seventh  week,  then  the  seventh  month,  then  the 
seventh  year,  then  the  seventh  seven  of  years — introducing  the"  jubilee" 
— then  the  seventh  seventy  of  years,  the  Grand  Jubilee.     This  number 
7  X  70,  or  490,  appears  in  at  least  two  conspicuous  places,  1  Kings  vi.  1, 
where,  adding  the  ten  years  of  the  temple  building  to  the  480,  between 
the  exodus  and  the  beginning  of  the  work,  we  have  490 ;  and,  in  Daniel 
ix.  24,  where  again  the  seven  sevens  reappear,  as  the  sacred  typical 
number,  between  the  exodus  from  the  captivity  and  the  building  of  the 
new  spiritual  temple  of  God  under  the  Messiah.     This  number  490  is 
doubly  a  type  of  completeness:    it  is  not  only  the  product  of  7  mul- 
tiplied by  70,  but  of  7  times  7  (49),  the  interval  from  jubilee  to  jubilee, 
multiplied  by  10 — another  sacred  number.     These  jubilee  periods  must 
be  obviously  reckoned  from  the  time  of  Moses,  when  the  law  of  the  jubi- 
lee first  appears.     And,  counting  the  exodus  from  2515  A.M.,  the  full 
seven  periods  of  490,  or  3,430 years,  would  bring  us  to  5945  A.M.,  or  some- 
where this  side  of  the  middle* of  the  next  century  as  its  extreme  limit ; 
and,  if  the  years  are  to  be  reckoned  by  the  prophetic-year  standard  of  360 
days  (twelve  equal  months  of  thirty  days  each)  the  limit  would  be  some- 
where about  1898,  so  that  by  this  method  again  the  "  beginning  of  the 
end  "  has  already  come. 

3.  A  third  method  of  computation,  "  The  Millennial  Standard,"  is 
thought  to  point  to  the  same  approximate  terminus.     "One  day  is  with 
the  Lord  as  a  thousand  years  and  a  thousand  years  as  -ene  day  "  (2  Peter 
iii.  8).     This  is  regarded  by  many  as  another  not  very  obscure  hint  as 
to  God's  chronology,  and  they  therefore  reason  that  the  predicted  millen- 
nium or  thousand  years  of  Sabbatic  rest,  crowning  the  six  millenniums 
of  a  world's  toil,  can  not  be  far  off. 

4.  The  fourth  method  of  computation  is  "the  historical."    The  num- 

585 


BppenDij 


ber  1,260  ("forty-two  months,"  "a  time,  times,  and  half  a  time")  is  as 
we  have  already  seen,  conspicuous  both  in  Daniel  and  iu  Revelation. 

Those  who  accept  the  "historical"  method  of  interpreting  the  Apoc- 
alypse believe  that  the  beast  and  the  false  prophet  represent  the  Papacy 
and  Mohammedanism,  or  the  crucifix  and  the  crescent.  They  maintain 
that  it  is  a  curious  fact,  to  say  the  least,  that  both  these  systems  date 
from  the  period  between  006  and  620  (the  decree  of  Phocas  and  the  first 
Hegira)  as  the  terminus  a  quo,  and,  adding  1,260,  they  reach  again  a  ter- 
minus ad  quern  somewhere  between  1866  and  1886  as  "the  beginning  of 
the  end"  of  these  systems,  as  world  powers  or  kingdoms. 

5.  A  fifth  mode  of  computation  is  that  of  the  "Antichrist  Period." 
The  number,  666,  is  divinely  given  as  the  number  of  the  lawless  one 
(o  avofior,  o  dvapxot;)  who  is  to  be  revealed  in  the  last  week  of  years.     This 
number,  thus  inseparably  linked  with  the  man  of  sin,  in  whom  personally 
all  the  Antichristian  systems  of  history  are  to  "head  up,"  is  thought  by 
many  to  stand  for  the  period  of  the  race's  rebellion,  and  to  be  the  sym- 
bolic number  of  perpetual  unrest  and  incompleteness.     There  is  a  show 
of  reason  in  this,  for  666  is  a  repeating  decimal  that  ever  approaches,  but 
never  reaches,  seven,  the  number  of  completeness  and  rest.     Six  times 
this  number  666  gives  3,996,  the  grand  crisis — the  year  of  Christ's  birth, 
reckoning  from  creation  ;  and  again,  reckoning  from  Abraham's  birth,  as 
father  of  the  faithful,  brings  us  to  the  beginning  of  this  century  as  a 
new  crisis  in  history. 

6.  A  sixth  road  by  which  the  same  terminus  is  reached  is  the  "con- 
dition of  world-witness"  (see  Matt.  xxiv.  14,  Mark  xiii.  10).     Christ 
distinctly  stated  that  the  Gospel  must  first  be  published  among  all  na- 
tions, and  preached  as  a  witness  to  all  nations,  and  then  would  come  the 
END.     With  no  little  force  many  argue  that  there  never  was  a  period  of 
such  world-wide  evangelism  as  now.     Over  three  hundred  missionary 
societies  at  work,  about  twelve  thousand  missionary  workers,  and  nearly 
fifty  thousand  native  helpers,  engaged ;  the  Bible  translated  into  over 
four  hundred  tongues,  etc.,  and  "published  to  all  nations."    It  is  also 
very  noticeable  that  the  motto  of  the  present  "crusade"  is  "The  evan- 
gelization of  the  world  in  this  generation  !  " 

7.  A  seventh  mode  of  computing  is  that  of  the  Laodicean  lukewarm- 
ness.     By  a  comparison  of  Matt.  xiii.  47-50  and  Rev.  iii.  14-22,  it  will 
be  seen  that  the  last  state  of  the  "  kingdom, "  previous  to  the  end.  is  world- 
wide evangelism,  as  indicated  by  the  dragnet;  and  the  last  state  of  the 
church  is  deep-seated  apathy,  as  indicated  by  the  Laodicean  lukewarm- 
ness.     And  those  who  hold  this  view  contend  that  both  conditions  are 
to  coexist  as  the  end  draws  nigh.     They  point  us  to  the  startling  fact  that 
never  before  has  the  church  shown  signs  of  such  extensive  evangelization 
on  the  one  hand,  and  such  extensive  deterioration  on  the  other.     Many 
regard  this  latter  as  the  "falling  away,"  which  is  to  precede  the  end  (2 
Thess.  ii.  3). 

8.  An  eighth  road  seems  to  end  at  the  same  goal — it  is  the  develop- 
ment of  anarchism.     The  hints  in  the  Epistles  to  the  Thessalonians, 

586 


JBelief  tbat  Cbrist  jflfcag  Come  in  tbe  IRcjt  ^wentg  lears 


2  Peter,  Jude,  and  the  Apocalypse,  it  is  contended,  all  agree  in  show- 
ing us  that,  as  the  end  approaches,  there  will  be  a  peculiarly  lawless 
spirit  prevailing — an  uprising  of  an  organized  resistance  to  all  authority 
in  church  and  state,  a  combination  of  forces  to  supplant  all  govern- 
ment, and  at  the  same  time  an  arbitrary  attempt  to  compel  men  to  limit 
even  trade  and  commerce  by  a  certain  "mark,"  that  alone  authorizes  one 
to  "  buy  or  sell "  (Rev.  xiii.  16,  17).  Those  who  emphasize  this  as  a  sign 
of  the  end  point  triumphantly  to  the  recent  and  unprecedented  growth 
of  communism,  socialism,  and  nihilism;  and  to  the  simultaneous 
growth  of  trades-unions  and  protective  organizations,  monopolies  and 
trusts,  which  restrict  all  trade  or  labor  to  their  "  mark." 

9.  The  ninth  argument  presented  for  the  near  approach  of  the  end  is 
Irredentism  or  the  drift  of  the  Jews  toward  Palestine,  and  the  rehabil- 
itation of  their  national  life.     This  is,  as  the  advocates  of  this  view  con- 
tend, the  blossoming  of  the  fig-tree"  (Matt.  xxiv.  32,  33),  which  marks 
the  end  as  "near,  even  at  the  doors."    Certainly  there  is  something  very 
startling  in  the  modern  movement  known  as  "Zionism,"  and  which  has 
developed  within  the  last  five  years,  summoning  these  great  conferences 
of  leading  Jews  to  the  European  capitals.     Never  before  has  the  national 
spirit  of  the  Israelites  had  such  a  revival  since  Christ  ascended. 

10.  The  tenth  line  of  argument  converges  at  the  same  point,  namely, 
the  Spirit's  withdrawal.     There  is  a  mysterious  passage  in  2  Thess.  ii.  7, 
where  we  are  told  that  there  is  some  great  Hinderer,  whose  presence 
prevents  the  final  outbreak  of  the  Mystery  of  Iniquity,  and  who  must  be 
withdrawn  before  the  end  of  lawlessness  can  come,  in  the  "reappearing 
of  the  Lord."  The  advocates  of  this  view  contend  that,  by  every  sign,  the 
Spirit  of  God  is  shown  to  have  withdrawn  or  to  be  withdrawing  from 
the  church  as  a  whole.     It  is  maintained  by  very  devout  souls  that 
there  is  left,  in  the  church  at  large,  neither  spiritual  worship,  spiritual 
faith,  spiritual  work,  nor  spiritual  life;  that  altho  these  all  exist,  they 
exist  in  a  few  elect  individuals,  and  not  in  the  church  as  a  body;  and 
that,  especially  in  the  matter  of  administration — the  specific  office  of 
the  Spirit — He  is  displaced  by  the  spirit  of  the  world,  as  evinced  by 
the  worldly  men  and  maxims,  secular  oratory,  artistic  music,  worldly 
entertainments,  etc..  which  everywhere  prevail. 

Whatever  grounds,  above  presented,  may  seem  untenable  or  unsafe, 
one  thing  seems  undeniable :  there  is  a  convergence  of  signs  upon  this  our 
day,  such  as  has  never  indicated  any  previous  period  as  the  probable 
time  of  the  end  For  example,  if  the  Hebrew  means  Bosh,  llussia,  and 
this  nation  is  thus  in  prophecy  indicated  as  the  "head  "  of  the  last  great 
movement  of  history  toward  world  empire,  how  like  a  fulfilment  are 
all  the  present  movements  of  that  empire — the  trans-Siberian  railway, 
the  encroachments  on  China,  etc.  !  And  if  universal  anarchy  is  to  be 
the  last  great  development  of  society,  when  was  there  a  time  when,  both 
in  church  and  state,  there  was  such  a  development  of  lawlessness 
(avofiia)? 

Upon  this  subject  we  can  no  longer,  within  these  narrow  limits,  ex- 

587 


patiate.  But  it  may  at  least  stir  up  the  thoughtful  reader  to  individual 
search  into  the  signs  of  the  times.  What  are  the  indications  above  the 
prophetic  and  historic  horizon?  If  the  signs  of  the  coming  of  the  Son 
of  Man  are  indeed  to  be  seen,  it  may  well  incite  us  to  be  among  the 
watchers  who,  while  others  yet  sleep,  are  awake  and  looking  for  the 
dawn  ! 


586 


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